


When September Ends

by Shazkowalski



Series: Nothing's Ever Built to Last [2]
Category: Homeland
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-10-12 06:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17462336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shazkowalski/pseuds/Shazkowalski
Summary: This story follows on where '21 Guns' ended. Peter Quinn and Rob are on mission in Syria- its a risky deployment as the two men find themselves alone with no idea who they can trust and who has already betrayed them. On top of this Quinn is still from being on top form given his horrific injuries sustained less than six months ago-  they have to trust each other and just hope they can make their way through it.Meanwhile the rest of the team await anxiously in the States, powerless to help or even intervene as the two operatives move through the war zone.******Chapter Ten Posted 28th March 2019******





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for your amazing support for my previous story. I felt so welcomed and supported by your lovely lovely people!
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the start of this and hopefully it will continue in a way you like!!

When September Ends

By Shaz

The hot dry air was broken as a clap of thunder broke the humidity, the two men huddled in the doorway as finally the storm broke and rain bounced off the ground in front of them. The rain was no hazard to them, but as the locals all ran through the streets grabbing their belongings and heading for shelter the two Americans couldn’t risk standing out by casually strolling through the bouncing rain. 

The taller man pushed his cap over his dark hair and pulled his hood up to cover it, his keen eyes surveying the area for any hint that their contact was waiting for them.

“See anything?” the smaller man whispered and received a head shake in return. He sighed as he stepped further back into the shadows in frustration. They had been deployed for three days and their asset was proving elusive to say the least. They were on a tight timescale as it was and couldn’t afford this delay. 

“He’ll show” Peter Quinn stated softly, stepping further out and enjoying the feel of the rain on his hot skin. His sharp blue eyes looked around and saw a man stood in the corner of the transport station diagonally in front of him. He looked at the man and as their eyes met the other turned and began walking slowly inside. Quinn watched him move before carefully and slowly following- knowing that Rob would have his back. He followed through the now muddy streets until he found him in the corridor of an abandoned and damaged building, unsurprised to find the other man waiting for him in the darkness. 

“You’re late” Quinn greeted him as he leaned against the wall, ignoring the slight pain that shot through his recently healed quad and knee. Peter Quinn was a member of the elite Special Ops group for the Central Intelligence Agency, and had only recently narrowly avoided being killed whilst on mission in Syria- he had fought with everything he had to regain fitness, his main goal to be doing exactly what he was doing here and continuing the mission that had nearly claimed his life. It had resulted in him still suffering from headaches and he tired far too easily for his liking, but he was here, he was alive and he was doing what he was made to do- so he wasn’t complaining.

“I am here now aren’t I” the asset responded with a grim face. 

“Do you have what we need?” Quinn asked, his eyes scouting the doorway to make sure they weren’t overheard. The man nodded and handed him a package, waiting whilst Quinn stowed it in the back of his jeans and covered it with his hoody. 

“You need to be careful- there are whispers of US agents being in this area, just rumours for now, but it won’t be long before they start actively hunting you” the man warned, then with one final nod he turned and left the American alone. Quinn waited several moments before he walked to the next doorway in the building and also stepped back out onto the street- unsurprised to find his team leader casually leaning against the wall waiting for him. 

They exchanged no words and Quinn walked straight past the smaller man showing no sign that he even knew him, he headed back towards the building line and took the cover that it afforded him as he made his way back to the safe house taking several side streets and doubling back constantly. Half an hour later he was joined by Rob and the two men looked at the documents they had been given.

“That is definitely him” Quinn stated as he saw the face of the man that had taken so much from all of them.

“You sure?” Rob asked as he also looked at the blurred photograph.

“Trust me- I never forget an asshole” Quinn responded as he cast the picture aside and turned to the next document in the pile reading through the details before handing it onto Rob. 

“This is earlier than we thought” Rob stated with a sigh. Quinn nodded as he recognised the details of the dates being a mere ten days from now, a week earlier than they were primed for.

“Check in isn’t until tomorrow- we can do some more digging, meet with Omar and update Dar after that” Quinn suggested, frustrated himself with the new information. 

“I don’t like this Pete” Rob stated with a sigh.

“Well if Dar would just let us take the bastard out it would be far simpler” Quinn commented with a grin. 

“Play nice Peter- you know he wants Haqqani secured and downloaded” Rob cautioned him, he knew exactly what had happened in Islamabad at the hands of the terror leader- and he knew how desperately Quinn wanted to take him down, but he also knew that Quinn was professional and experienced enough to know that they had to stick to the plan- had to consider the bigger picture rather than get dragged away into an act of revenge no matter how much he wanted to. Quinn chuckled at the comment and turned away to his table where he grabbed his sidearm and placed it in his belt.

“Where are you going now?” Rob asked him in confusion.

“Grab some food” he replied, heading out without a backward glance. Rob watched him leave and sighed, he knew his friend was still suffering the effects of his horrific injuries and he couldn’t help but worry that this mission may have been too soon for the other man. He knew his friend was more than capable but he was also nowhere near full strength physically and was without thinking of the mental issues he had to still be experiencing. He wasn’t too worried- Quinn was operating effectively and they were getting the job done, they just needed to continue their way through. 

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Quinn moved quickly, he knew where he needed to go and he had already plotted his route in his mind. He moved through the bleakness of Damascus- a city wrecked to pieces by war but felt little sadness. This was the environment he was used to working in, it didn’t mean he was immune to the effects of war, he was just good at not dwelling on them. 

He kept his head down but his eyes up as he moved through the streets, his natural stealth and experience allowing him to blend into his surroundings and move without being noticed. 

He got to his destination and looked up at the eight foot wall surrounding it- he sighed, six months ago we wouldn’t have hesitated he would have been straight up and over, but that was before his head injury and damaged leg. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and leapt up, just managing to grab the top of the wall with his right hand he hauled himself up and over and dropped down on the other side- only wincing slightly as his weakened leg hit the ground. 

He moved around the side of the building and found himself climbing up a drain pipe and pulling himself through the open window. 

“You could have just used the door Peter” a familiar voice greeted him with a slight air of amusement.

“Old habits” he replied with a grin and a shrug. “Besides I really don’t want to get noticed” he added. 

“What on earth have you been doing to yourself?” the German woman exclaimed as she finally got a good look at her long term friend as he took his cap off. He sighed, he had hoped she wouldn’t notice his less than healthy appearance. 

“I had a mishap in Syria” he told her honestly and she rested her head in her hands at his comment.

“And what? Got the next flight to the next possible warzone?” she asked with her traditional sarcasm. 

“I’m fine Astrid” he told her with a smile, she shook her head- well and truly used to the handsome American having no regard for his own safety. 

“Like hell you are Peter- but I know better than to bother arguing with your stubborn ass” she stated with a sigh. “What was the damage?” she asked as he took in his thinner than usual features and pale face. 

“Dislocated knee, shrapnel to the ribs, bullet through the bicep, torn quad, and a head injury” he told her and she shook her head as he reeled off the list.

“And let me guess you have been out of hospital less than a month?” she stated with a raised eye brow. He couldn’t help but laugh at how well she knew him. 

“Five weeks actually” he told her playfully and she rolled her eyes. 

“So what do you want from me?” she asked, knowing that he had to be there for a reason. 

“Any whispers that you have heard?” he asked her.

“About who exactly?”

“Haqqani” he replied and she groaned out loud.

“Oh Peter when will you move on from him?” she asked in despair.

“When he is rotting for the rest of his life in a cell or has slowly and painfully bled to death” Peter replied honestly. “He’s either here or due here” he told her quietly. “We just need to find out exactly where, when and with who” he told her as she handed him a coffee. 

“You don’t wish for much then! We have heard very little about him Peter” Astrid warned. “The last we heard was that he was in Aleppo” she added.

“That was his last hide out- so he could stir things up at Raqqah” Quinn stated suddenly feeling tired. 

“You out here by yourself?” Astrid asked her concern increasing. 

“No- but I didn’t think you would appreciate an extra guest” he told her. “We are only due to be here for another week- how long can you stay?”

“In Syria?” she asked in surprised. “I am getting out of dodge as soon as you leave here Peter- this is no place for games at the moment” he nodded, glad to hear that she would be out of harm’s way- or as much as she ever was. 

“Can you run some sources and let me know if you find anything?” he asked her his eyes locked on hers. She knew without question how much this meant to him and how very important it was to him to draw a line under Haqqani.

“I thought you were getting out?” she asked him with a smile, reminding him of just about every meeting they had ever had.

“I think we both know that is never likely to happen” he responded softly. “Will you do it?” 

“Like there is ever any doubt” she sighed. “How do I reach you?” she asked, and took down the number of the burner he reeled off. 

“Thank you” he told her.

“Take care of yourself Peter- you aren’t invincible and the locals aren’t too friendly here” she warned him gently. He nodded with a smile, before turning and climbing back out of the window. She watched him leave and shook her head, she had never known anybody quite like Peter Quinn. He was the softest and most caring man she had ever known- but with one flinch we could kill you with his bare hands or plot an assassination in his sleep. She didn’t watch him climb down the drain pipe- she didn’t want to draw attention to him by leaning out of the window. She didn’t hear his feet hit the bottom either, but she knew he would have made it. 

She grabbed her bag and pulled out her phone, sending the message to secure her own extraction. She knew that she would go to the ends of the earth to help Quinn, he would do the same for her- she just hoped he would keep himself alive along enough to let her. 

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Rob was not happy, not happy at all in fact. It had been two hours since Quinn had just popped out and yet no sign of the younger man. Rob sighed- he couldn’t even go out looking for him, couldn’t risk them coming under the attention of the locals. His thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open and the object of his thoughts stepping through the door. 

“Where the fuck have you been?” he demanded.

“Good evening to you too” Quinn replied with a quirk of his brows. 

“Where’s the food?” Rob asked noticing his friend’s quite clearly empty hands and Quinn paused in his steps realising he hadn’t even grabbed them any canned food.

“Sorry” he muttered as he stepped down into the main area of their shared room and perched on the step. “I went to see a contact- got them putting the feelers out to see if any there are any whispers” Quinn explained, leaning back against the wall and stretching his aching leg out in front of him. Rob sighed, he had expected this, but hoped that Quinn would be honest with him and tell him what he was actually up to- but as usual the sneaky bastard was just running around as he always did.

Rob grabbed a bottle of water and handed that and Quinn’s pain medication to him without comment- recognising that he clearly needed them.

“Nothing current, last they were aware he was in Aleppo- which matches our earlier intel or their camp set up and deploying from there, but my contact is going to do some more digging” he told his friend, closing his eyes against the newly forming headache. 

“We’ll feed it into Dar tomorrow and see if they have anything new or can deploy a drone” Rob replied, equally unhappy with the development. He sat down beside Quinn and handed him a tin of tuna the standard food of their deployments.

“You doing ok?” Rob asked his friend softly, a rare display of concern. Special forces didn’t speak about their feelings- it was an unspoken rule whilst on a mission. To mention weakness made the possibility real and that was a dangerous direction to head in. The group cared for each other, they looked after each other and they were always there if the others needed them- but they didn’t talk about that, it just was. 

“I’m fine Rob” Quinn replied with an edge of danger to his voice. 

“Good- because I am so over having to carry your scrawny ass out of warzones” Rob stated with a grin. Quinn snorted.

“Let’s not compare score cards Rob” he warned, reminding the older man of the number of times it had been the other way around. 

“Fair point” Rob conceded with a matching grin. “I don’t know how you do these missions Pete- all this luxury- flushing toilets and running water, it’s all so extravagant” Rob teased, far more used to just being part of the strike forces or fighting force rather than part of the advance team doing the intelligence work.   
In fact Rob rarely worked as part of such a small team, and certainly had only deployed as a single operative a handful of times. That was where Quinn excelled- sure he was an absolute must on the unit – and a natural soldier, but his mind worked in such a way that he thrived on this kind of work. Building explosives and tailing terrorists came as naturally to the other man as making a sandwich came to others. He had known the man for more than ten years, yet sometimes he still asked himself if he knew him at all.

“I can go and dig you a hole in the yard if that would make you feel better” Quinn quipped as he finished his tuna and dragged himself to his feet. “I’ll take first shift” he stated as he headed towards the window and grabbed the sight of his weapon, making it perfectly clear that the conversation was over. Rob sighed, and recognised when his friend was shouting him out. He got up and headed towards the bed roll- stripping to his boxers, his gun by his side and he laid down. They were on a mission and he knew he needed to grab rest whilst he could- knowing he could trust Quinn to watch his back. 

End Chapter One


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely comments! Please keep reading x

Chapter Two

Rob winced as he stretched out his back- he glanced at his watch and groaned as he saw that he had been asleep for five hours.

“Damn you Quinn” he exclaimed as he got to his feet and moved to the window- unsurprised to find his friend sat, coffee in hand keeping watch over the safe house.

“Morning” Quinn greeted without looking away from the window. 

“Why the hell did you let me sleep so long?” Rob demanded.

“Figured you needed your beauty sleep more than I did” Quinn responded.

“Come on- shift your ass. I am taking over” Rob instructed, tapping the younger man on the shoulder to move so he could take over. Quinn sighed, got to his feet and moved across the small space in silence, he slipped his boots off and laid down on his own bed roll. He was tired, but he knew he would struggle to sleep with his mind refusing to shut down. They had less than a week to gather all of the information they could and turn it into accurate intelligence, and that was tight enough without them also having to come up with a snatch and grab plan whilst still being able to get safely out of the country. 

He loved these sort of missions- they were his bread and butter, he thrived on the pressure, having no time at all to make the big decisions and yet somehow coming up with the answers. His job was like a rubik's cube, like a jigsaw puzzle that was missing lots of pieces but still you had to make the whole picture. He lived for it. He had fought against it, desperate to be like ‘normal’ people and have a normal house, in a normal neighbourhood with a normal family. He had gradually realised that this could never be the way for him. He could never truly walk away from all of this- he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. Besides he was on the kill list in so many countries that it was probably safer to remain under agency protection with immediate access to a multitude of weapons anyway. He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts and rested his head back against his arms. 

Something about this mission just didn’t seem to fit in his mind. The information was too sketchy, too vague with all but the city and bracket of time involved- it seemed strange to him. He sat up and reached for his phone tapping out a text to a contact of his own before pulling his boots back on. He got to his feet, and grabbing a spare clip for his sidearm slipped out of the door. Rob spun round as he heard the door shut behind his friend and cursed under his breath- it was looking more and more like he was going to have to tie his friend down and make him rest at this rate.

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Quinn made no time for manners as he arrived at the high rise block and barged his way into the communal area, heading to the apartment that he knew so well. It wasn’t the first time Quinn had been to this city, and it wasn’t the first time he had come to this block in this way. Within minutes he was through the front door and stood looking over the man that had always been sneaky and suspicious- but reliable in his information.

“You never knock” the older man stated with an eye roll. “At least you text this time- but manners cost nothing” he warned- his eyes locked on those of the government agent. He knew the taller man was dangerous, knew exactly what he did for his work, and exactly how good at it he was- he had seen it first hand. Hell he had almost experienced it first hand- it was only thanks to the controlled nature of the operative that he hadn’t killed him with his bare hands, and he would have struggled to argue that he didn’t deserve it. 

“I like to keep you on your toes” Quinn stated, his tone carrying a warning. “Did you do the digging for me?” he asked. 

“Yes- but this one is dangerous- it may cost more” he commented getting to his feet so that the other man wasn’t looming over him with such menace.

“If its worth while you’ll get your money” Quinn agreed, he was nothing if not fair. He leaned against the wall, arms folded across his muscular chest. “What do you have for me?”

“I have some information Peter- but you are not going to like it……” he warned, and Quinn couldn’t help but feel his stomach lurch at the comment.

“Go on…….” He prompted with a feeling of dread.

“I believe you are due to meet with someone, an Omar?” he queried, and Quinn stood upright at the fact that this man even knew this. He didn’t confirm or deny the statement. “He has been an agency asset for a while hasn’t he? Much trusted, but yet he has been used since before Islamabad- appeared in a certain book” he continued, his eyes locked on Quinn’s.

“The certain book?” Quinn asked, it suddenly dawning him exactly what this meant. The other man nodded, Quinn reached into his pocket and handed him an envelope as he nodded- words escaping him He turned on his heel and walked out- he needed to get back to Rob, needed to think this through and work out exactly what to do next. 

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“You have got to stop fucking disappearing Quinn” Rob stated forcefully as Quinn arrived back.

“Pack your stuff” Quinn told him. Rob went to speak, then saw the expression on his friend’s face and realised he was clearly missing something big, but he knew when there was a time to just move and get the answers later. The two men moved quickly their stuff packed away and they were out of the door in minutes, moving through the darkened streets, zig-zagging through the alleyway until they found their way to another apartment block. Quinn pushed the door open and checked each of the rooms before throwing his bag off his shoulder.

“What the fuck is going on?” Rob finally asked. 

“We have been compromised” Quinn told him, his tired tone showing his feelings. 

“How so?” Rob asked in confusion.

“Omar- he was on the list” Quinn explained.

“What list?” Rob asked, his confusion not lifting.

“The list from Islamabad” Quinn stated, then rolled his eyes as his usually intelligent friend was clearly still failing to grasp what he was saying. “The list that Haqqani took” he added, and noticed the moment that clarity finally hit the other man. 

“Shit” he stated simply. “That’s why we aren’t at the safe house” he added, speaking more to himself than to his friend. “We need to contact Dar” he commented, Quinn nodded.

“Yep- but not by the arranged means- we don’t know how much Omar knows or what tech he has” he explained as he perched against the windowsill. 

“Well this went to shit pretty quickly” Rob muttered as he ran his hand through his hair. Quinn nodded as he rifled through his bag and pulled out a new burner phone. “You came prepared” Rob stated with a smile, realising that Quinn was far more used to this than he was.

“It’s the boy scout in me” Quinn quipped as he dialled a number into the handset. He spoke quickly into the cell. “Astrid, it’s me no time to explain, but we are compromised- if I text you a number can you make contact and use the word ‘Maximum’ to confirm it is from me?” he asked.

“Yes yes of course- do you need me to send help?” she asked in concern for her long time friend.

“No, not yet- maybe when we finish what we have to do here” he replied. “Now listen carefully- I need you to tell Dar that contact delta zulu alpha one has been compromised- he was on the list- that should make sense to him” Quinn explained. ”I can’t risk this number being linked to the agency” he told her quickly. “I owe you another one” he added before hanging up.

“And then what?” Rob asked his friend, unsure where this was heading. 

“We wait instruction from Dar- but I would wager that it will be to take Omar out as the treacherous little rat that he is” Quinn stated, his eyes flashing with fire and his tone as cold as ice.

 

Rob sighed, it sounded to him a case of take him out and then get the hell out, but there was still a job to do. They still needed to confirm the details surrounding Haqqani, set up the job and still safely make it out with him in tow. 

“You know they have a score to settle with you Pete” Rob warned gently as he realised the possible ramifications of this breach.

“Yeah- well that’s funny, I have a bit of a score with him too” he muttered as his mind filled with the image of his friend Max cradling the lifeless body of Fara in his arms. She had been a beautiful young woman with a full and promising life ahead of her- killed too young and too soon. He would never ever forget his time in Islamabad, and never forgive Haqqani and his set for what they had done. He was all too aware that he himself had pissed off many different factions whilst serving there- the government themselves had placed him on their kill list, never mind the terrorist group that weren’t best pleased that he had managed to take out several of their men single handedly.  
Rob looked at his friend, he knew the other man had been through a lot, and he knew how strongly he felt about his time in Islamabad- it had almost been the straw that broke the camel’s back and finally resulted in him leaving the agency- but at the last moment he had changed his mind and travelled back to Syria with Rob and he team. 

“Can you trust Astrid?” Rob asked with a sigh as he sat down.

“I can and I do- implicitly” he replied, in fact she was the only person that he had ever known in his life that had never ever let him down. She had always been there for him, always had his back and he absolutely loved her for that. 

“So we wait for Astrid to call you back, and take it from there. In the mean time do we have any more reliable contacts that might have info on his whereas? Despite this leak we still have to find out where he is going to be” Rob stated, and Quinn sighed. He knew his friend was right, but they had to find out how bad the damage was first and how much was known about their own activity.

“You’re right, but we can’t go chasing down any more leads until we know if there are people looking for us, and if so who” Quinn commented softly.

“Only one man can tell us that” Rob told him with a loose smile. 

“Ok- so we observe the meeting point from a distance, look at how many people he has brought, then a loose follow back to his lodgings and grab him from there?” Quinn suggested with a grin. He couldn’t just sit back and wait, they needed to take control of this situation. 

“Lets go” Rob instructed, digging in to his bag and filling his pockets with more ammo and a couple of other tricks. Quinn did likewise and within seconds the two men were heading out, securing the door behind them.

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The two moved quickly, Quinn’s hair covered by his baseball cap, Rob utilising his hood. They took either side of the building that they had been due to meet Omar at, aware of where each other was situated, however covered by the shadows. Quinn moved quickly around his half of the building, silent and deadly as he immediately found three men, armed and undoubtedly primed to take them out or capture them as their prize. Quinn signalled to Rob, and received a reply confirming there were a further five men around the remainder of the building. 

Eight men, plus Omar- these clearly meant business and it confirmed the information Quinn’s source had given them. Carefully Quinn reached up and snapped photographs of the men within his focus, he knew Rob would be replicating his actions on the other side. He sighed, and settled back on his haunches, now was the time to be patient and wait them out. He saw the moment Omar arrive, the other man glancing around the building, clearly looking for the operatives, he took out his phone and checked the time. Quinn wondered if the treacherous man would contact Dar to report that they hadn’t showed. It mattered not as long as Astrid had got his message through. 

He winced as his leg stiffened up, it was not going to enjoy being squatted down whilst he waited for Omar to give up and leave so they could carefully follow him, but it was necessary so it had to happen. He settled back in post and made himself as comfortable as possible without losing sight of the his prey.

It was over an hour later before Omar finally started to move away- Quinn had watched him make several calls- making note of the times of each and hoping Max may be able to do some digging into phone logs when he was finally able to make contact with him again. He moved away from the wall- further back into the shadows and he knew even without seeing that Rob would be doing exactly the same. He kept far back and watched as his subject met with one of the other men, lighting a cigarette before turning and walking away. He stayed back as Rob slipped from his perch and moved forward, his head down but moving at a leisurely pace a short distance behind the two men before ducking into a doorway and out of sight, the signal for Quinn to move and take his turn at tailing. He moved through the streets- his leg now stiff and achy he winced as he tried not to limp and willed it to loosen up. He kept a good pace as he walked on, grabbing a push bike that was abandoned on the street, he cycled past his mark, not looking or showing any interest in him in any way. He moved until he was half a mile in front of him so he was in a position to pick the tail back up if he moved this way. He had every faith that Rob would be a similar distance in the other direction, making sure that they could monitor where he was headed.

This game of hide and seek went on for nearly thirty minutes until finally Omar turned into a block of dilapidated houses, looking over his shoulder as he stepped through the door. Quinn settled back behind a tree and fired off a number of photographs, taking in all the battered vehicles nearby and passers by. He looked up as Rob appeared next to him.

“So what now?” he asked.

“Now we move away and make contact- see what Dar wants us to do with him” Quinn whispered, and the two men moved silently away.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely reception to this story- I really hope you keep enjoying it and leaving me your reviews!

Chapter Three

Dar looked up as the unknown number flashed up on his cell. He answered it as he placed his brandy down to the side.

“Yes” he greeted with a sigh.

“Mr Adal- I have a message for you” a German accent spoke to him. 

“And what that might be?” he asked, his attention grabbed. 

“I have been told to say the word ‘Maximum” Astrid told him, and knew he was listening when she heard his intake of breath. “He believes that they have been compromised” she continued. 

“What’s happened?” Dar asked, knowing immediately who the conversation related to. 

“I have been told to tell you that Omar was on ‘the list’” Astrid stated, hoping that it would make sense. Dar sighed, unfortunately understanding exactly what the message meant.

“Are they ok?” he asked.

“For now they are, I am to make contact later this evening with an update from you” the German operative told him. “He didn’t want to risk the outgoing call to you” she added. 

“Peter’s right, that’s too risky. Thank you Astrid- can I contact you on this number?” he asked after a moment.

“Yes, I will await your update” she responded and disconnected immediately. Dar rested his head in his hands, this was supposed to be a relatively simple intelligence gathering mission to ease Peter back into operational duties, but instead the unthinkable had occurred and one of their assets had been turned by the other side. He downed the rest of his drink and got to his feet- he needed to update his technical team and hope that they could do some digging, and run some sources to get some more information for his men in Syria. 

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Saul looked up as Dar stepped through the door, he had known the other experienced man for many many years and knew him as well as anybody ever would- so the expression on his face was easy for Saul to decipher.

“What’s happened?” he asked, sitting up straighter in his chair.

“The team have been compromised in Damascus, we need to come up with a plan and fast or this will all be for nothing” he instructed. “Can you get the team gathered?” he asked. It was unusual for him to have so many people read in on a mission- he was used to working in the shadows and excluding as many people as possible, but this was too multi-faceted and the people here deserved to be involved. They were all so invested in making sure that the correct outcome was achieved that he needed them on board. 

“Carrie too?” Saul asked in surprised. 

“We might need some of her sources Saul” Dar replied with a sigh- he was all too aware of the vast amount of time the case officer had spent in the middle east and that knowledge could prove invaluable in this situation, as much as he hated to admit it.

“Thirty minutes in the conference room?” Saul suggested. Dar nodded, and moved back out of the office without another word.

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“It’s as secure as its getting” Quinn stated with a shrug to Rob as he uploaded the images he had got so far to the company tablet and sent them through the encrypted network to Astrid- hoping against hope that as it wasn’t going to the States it would go without incident. 

“That’s assuming she even managed to contact Dar” Rob commented with a sigh.

“Well aren’t you the chirpy one” Quinn said with a roll of the eyes. “Astrid will have contacted him, now if she gets this through to him straight away he can come back with a plan by morning’

“And then what?” 

“Then we move- either withdraw or take them out and go back to the original plan” Quinn stated, his voice toneless as he focussed on the job at hand. 

“You make all of this seem so easy” Rob commented, seeing his friend in a new light. He watched as Quinn laid kit out on the small dining table in the corner of the kitchen, and sat back as he began connecting wires randomly together, before moving the finished device over to the front door. “Expecting trouble?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Better safe than sorry” Quinn warned, the small explosion would be enough to take out whoever came through the door first and give him and Rob enough time to hopefully dive out of the window. “Just make sure you don’t forget it’s there and blow yourself up” he warned playfully. Rob laughed as he thought of the embarrassment of blowing himself up on their own bomb after all that they had been through in their service.

“If I do- you can’t tell anybody” he joked. “You have a plan don’t you” he half asked and half told, he knew his friend well and he knew when he was up to something.

“I always have a plan Rob” Quinn replied with a grin, for the first time in a long time having faith that he was exactly where he needed to be, doing exactly what he was destined to do.

“Feel like sharing with the class?” Rob taunted. 

“It’s simple, we take them out- that will bait Haqqani to come out of the woodwork- and then we snatch and run like fuck” Quinn explained.

“That all sounds very simple, glad that’s sorted” Rob replied sarcastically. “Assuming Dar is happy to run with that, how are you planning on doing it?” 

“There’s me and you and all these supplies, what more do we need?” Quinn stated, a grin plastered on his face. Rob couldn’t help the slight shiver that it pushed through his spine at the image. 

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“These just came through” Max stated, bringing up the photographs that had been forwarded through to them. 

“Anything on facial search?” Saul asked.

“Lots” Max replied with a sigh. He wasn’t happy. His friend was yet again in the middle east with no support or backup and was apparently in a potentially sticky situation. They had only just managed to get Quinn out last time- he was barely even recovered as he boarded the plane to return to the warzone, and now it appeared they had been betrayed. Saul looked through the documents and shook his head- Omar was clearly working for Haqqani, it was just a case of how much had been disclosed to him. 

“Wait for Dar- he needs to see this” he advised as he sat down and looked at the screen in front of him, horrified and suddenly worried about his friend. 

“I’m here” a new voice joined the conversation, closely followed by Carrie Mathison, who looked fraught with worry. 

“Hey” she greeted the men that sat in front of her. “Any update?” she asked, her face drawn and her tone grave as her mind processed the trouble Quinn could currently be in. 

“We have just received a number of photographs and copies of documents- we think Quinn must have got them to Astrid somehow” Max told her.

“Smart move” Carrie commented approving of Quinn’s cautious approach. “Anything of use?”

“We have managed to identify several of the men on the protection party- they are mid level members of Haqqani’s faction- he is taking this threat seriously by using these guys” Saul briefed them quickly. Carrie ran her hand through her hair as she absorbed all of the new information. 

“How do we get in contact with them?” she asked, hoping that she would get the chance to speak with her friend. 

“We don’t- we can’t risk it being intercepted. The boys will find a way to get the information to us, we just need to wait” Dar stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“And in the mean time?” Carrie asked, desperately holding on to her self control- she needed to be calm and prove she could be trusted to stay on the team. Dar was saved from answering by his phone chirping in his pocket, he noted the number and smiled.

“This could be the answer to that question” he stated, before pressing the green button and answering. 

“Did you get the files?” Astrid asked, cutting straight to the chase.

“Yes- I don’t even want to know how Peter got them to you” Dar stated.

“He’s a resourceful chap” Astrid quipped “I ran the images through our intel systems, so I think we will both be on the same page. Do you have any drones that could fly over the co-ordinates I have sent you?” she asked.

“Carrie will speak with the Damascus field office” Dar instructed, and Carrie nodded acknowledging the task.

“Do you have any ground teams you can send in support?” Astrid asked, concerned for her friend. 

“No, it’s too risky. Peter is fully aware of that” Dar responded. 

“They are awaiting further instruction” Astrid prompted and Dar sighed.

“Omar didn’t know the specifics of who he was meeting, but he knew the location of the two agency safe houses for if he was compromised. The Damascus office will cleanse the one they utilised, but they must avoid all contact. We will check the existing drone footage and recontact you. We need to be in a position to grab Haqqani and get out, so timing will be everything” Dar stated, knowing that this was going to have to be planned to perfection if he was to get the team out safely. 

“And in the meantime? Is the other source compromised?” Astrid asked, wanting all of the information so that Quinn could come up with a plan of action. 

“They shouldn’t be- the other asset was only recruited six months ago so wouldn’t have featured in the stolen item” Dar assured her. “I would still advise caution though- there is clearly lots of activity in the city, we don’t know who else we can trust” he cautioned her, not wishing to lead his men into danger when it was avoidable. 

“I will keep you updated’ Astrid stated as she disconnected the call, she had work of her own to do. 

“I will contact Clive” Carrie stated, getting to her feet and heading out of the room to get in touch with the senior agent at Damascus, coming up with a story for the use of the safe house to get it cleaned and to see what the drone contained. She was persuasive as ever and within an hour the footage was loaded and on the big screen, the small team gathered around to watch it.

“Well this doesn’t tell us much” Max commented under his breath, his frustration showing.

“That isn’t a bad thing” Saul stated. “There is no mass movement, no suggestion of disturbance, no flashes and no bombs” he continued, and Max nodded grateful for that small mercy. 

“We need to weigh up our options” Dar stated as he paced the room. 

“We need to get reliable, credible intelligence in order to decide what our options are” Saul commented. 

“That as maybe, but we still need to make sure they can take Omar out and still grab Haqqani” Dar told him, leaving them in no doubt that the mission would continue right through until Haqanni was secured and being downloaded- no matter what the cost. Carrie sighed, this was exactly what she had feared as Quinn had been deployed, and proved her point that she really didn’t know if she could live like this. Still at least she was involved and knew exactly where he was and what was happening. 

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“Get some god dam sleep Pete” Rob hissed at his friend as darkness came and the man had been up all day and all night.

“Astrid might call” Quinn argued, not looking away from the window.

“If and when she does I will wake you up” the team leader promised, gesturing towards the bedroll and leaving no further room for discussion. Quinn sighed dramatically feeling very much like a small child being sent to bed by his parent- or what he imagined that must feel like anyway, he had no personal experience of it. He moved across to the makeshift bed and took his boots off laying down and closing his eyes. His body betraying him by proving Rob’s point as he drifted off to sleep instantly as exhaustion claimed him.

“Stubborn bastard” Rob muttered in amusement as he watched his friend drift to sleep very much against his will. 

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Less than an hour after Quinn had finally surrendered his phone began to vibrate. Rob sighed in frustration, he had been hoping his still recovering friend would get a good amount of rest, but he also knew how important this call could be so he didn’t hesitate to grab it and walk across to where the other man laid, and gently nudge him awake with his boot. As soon as blurry blue eyes blinked at him he handed him the phone wordlessly and watched as he pressed the button to answer the call.

“Yeh” he greeted, his voice croaky with sleep.

“Peter?” Astrid queried, not recognising the voice at first.

“Yeh- sorry it’s me” he replied. “Did you manage to make contact?” he asked, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Yes, and I sent those files for you. The second asset should be secure, he is a new source and wouldn’t have appeared in the book” she told him quickly. “Although you are still advised to be cautious” she added. 

“It’s my middle name” he told her with a tired smile. “Any further instruction?” he asked, hoping that there was some idea of which direction they were to go in.

“No- Dar is wanting a more accurate picture painting before the decision is made” she told him and he sighed knowing it meant they would have to meet the other asset and establish exactly what information he had. 

“Fine- I’ll call you when we get more” he told her, she sighed on the other end of the line, having a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach as she considered her friend’s position. 

“I’ll be here” she said and disconnected. Quinn sat down, suddenly feeling very old and very tired.

“Wrong number?” Rob quipped as he sat down beside him. Quinn rolled his eyes at his friend.

“We need to pay a visit” he said with a groan.

“Are they sure he isn’t also compromised?” Rob asked in concern, grasping exactly what Quinn was telling him. 

“He wasn’t on the list” Quinn replied with a shrug. He got to his feet and headed to his bag reaching for his agency issued burner. 

“What are you doing?” Rob asked him, fearing he already knew the answer.

“Arranging the meet” Quinn responded, his voice making it perfectly clear that he thought Rob should have just known that.

“It’s the middle of the night Quinn” Rob warned.

“Exactly- catch him off guard, get it done before he can arrange any back up if he is compromised” Quinn explained and Rob nodded, he had to admit it did make sense.

“Fine, lets get kitted up though, you never know what he could have immediately to hand” Rob stated, thinking on the negative side. Quinn nodded and as soon as he had made the contact he turned and grabbed his own kit before sitting back and waiting for the response that they needed. 

 

End Chapter Three


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter and your lovely comments. I am really sorry for the delay in posting- it is most unlike me! I have been so overwhelmed with work and juggling some semblance of a family life that writing this unfortunately fell behind, but I am all caught up now and really hoping that you guys are still reading and will leave a teeny comment to let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you!!

Chapter Four

Quinn moved quickly and quietly, his tall figure disappearing into the night as Rob followed closely behind. The two operatives exchanged no words as they reached their target. 

“How do you want to play this?” Rob whispered as the observed the window, assessing if there was any risk to them obvious.

“Straight in, get the intel and leave- if he has turned we take him out” Quinn responded, Rob sighed as he thought through the plan.

“That subtle hey?” he stated sarcastically.

“If he is working for them we can’t risk him reporting back that he has even seen us, take him out and get the hell out of here until we figure our next steps” Quinn expanded, knowing that Rob would follow his lead in this situation anyway. Rob nodded, completing the final check of his side arm, before getting to his feet and moving forward, his eyes skimming from side to side as he remained alert for any activity around them. The two men headed straight into the block and up the stairs, not even knocking on the door in question Quinn headed in and came face to face with just who he didn’t want to see. 

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“Shit” Max cursed as he flicked through the pile of photographs. 

“What is it?” Saul asked as he heard the profanity. 

“You might want to see this” Max stated with a sigh, Saul moved forward and inhaled sharply at what he saw.

“Shit” he stated as he rubbed his hand over his eyes, before moving to call Dar- he was not going to like this at all. He spoke quickly and quietly into the phone before moving back to Max. “This compromises everything- every ounce of intel we have received since Islamabad could be tainted” he sighed, Peter was potentially facing the consequences of the agency failure despite all the time that had passed. Saul glanced at Max- remembering how much the other man had lost in the embassy all that time ago- he had never really moved on, Saul knew that. He had heard and seen how deeply he had fallen for Fara- known how angry and bitter her death had made him- hell made most of them. Max had dived into a pit of drugs and alcohol in his despair, whereas Quinn had gone on a mission of revenge, scuppered by Carrie when his anger blocked him from thinking rationally.

“Dar has some questions to answer for this one” Max muttered, knowing full well that the head of special ops had cut a deal with the senior terrorist when he had realised that the agency couldn’t beat him. Saul nodded- the play had worked at the time, it had stuck in his throat, but it had served its purpose. A purpose that was now no longer being looked after, and in fact was further lives at risk. “Carrie should have let Quinn blow him up” Max stated, his eyes locked on Saul in a rare act of defiance. 

“But then Quinn would never have made it out alive” Saul reasoned, and Max found no further words to dispute the statement. Quinn was one of his closest friends, one of the very few people that he would trust with any element of his life- and the special ops agent had never asked for anything in return throughout that time. He had grown to respect and value the other man in a way he had never imagined would have been possible all those years ago when Carrie had set him and Virgil onto him due to lack of trust. 

“Carrie is not going to like this” he muttered, knowing that the case officer would be hard pressed to not leap on the next flight to the middle east to recover the man that she loved. Saul groaned at the thought, knowing they would have to update her, but not relishing the idea. 

“She may have some contacts that can help” Max stated with a grimace. Saul sighed before nodding, he couldn’t delay the inevitable- he glanced at his watch and realised that if he moved quickly he could catch Carrie before she left the office. 

“Wish me luck?” he requested softly. Max smiled despite himself, glad that he wasn’t in the older man’s shoes.

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Quinn sighed as the cold metal of the gun barrel met his cheek, he closed his eyes to control his breathing as he deliberately stepped in front of Rob, gesturing for the other man to withdraw before he drew attention to his presence. Rob assessed the situation- hating himself for the choice he was about to make. He stepped silently further into the corridor before turning and running, feeling worse with every stride he took but knowing that he had absolutely no choice. This was against everything that special forces usually stood for- you left nobody behind, but this was the only way he would be able to save Quinn and he knew it. 

Quinn had no idea whether Rob had followed his signal or not, but he hoped the smaller man had moved- what he had in mind meant that he had to be solo, otherwise there was no chance for either of them. 

“I knew you would come John” the Syrian in front of him stated, “you can’t help yourself” he added with a sneer. Quinn matched the action with a smirk of his own.

“Yep- I just can’t resist going after a shit head and a traitor” Quinn responded, his eyes flashing with fire. 

“I had heard you were a cocky one” Omar told him, applying more pressure to the American’s face. Quinn smiled as he looked around, there were two other men in the room, and a trail of blood into one of the side rooms- their contact he assumed. Quinn shrugged his shoulders as his glance came back to the man stood in front of him. 

“And yet I have heard very little about you” he replied quietly his eyes assessing the distance between him and the other men, weighing up his options and assessing the most likely to work, he just knew that the option he wouldn’t take was to do nothing- it wasn’t in his make up to just sit back, he had to take control.

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“Shit, shit, shit” Rob cursed as he made it down the road and behind cover. They had only just gotten Quinn back and in reasonable health and now he was in the hands of a potentially murderous terrorist network and he was out alone with little by the way of resources to even think of a plan to get his friend out. He rubbed his hand over his face and sighed, if he knew Quinn, and he did, then the younger man would be coming up with a way to get him out of this current situation- so he needed to make sure he was in a position to help him. Mind made up he moved back into the shadows into the direction of the apartment block and positioned himself in the doorway opposite, confident he wouldn’t be discovered and close enough to leap into action when he was required. 

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“How the hell could you let this happen?” Carrie ranted as she swept her hand through her hair. The contact that Quinn had been set up to meet had potentially been compromised and every piece of information that they had used to plan this current operation was also tainted. 

“They were good sources Miss Matheson” Dar reasoned, his own frustration clear in his voice. 

“Clearly” she muttered. “Have we heard anything from them?” 

“Not for the last twenty hours- Astrid confirmed she got the message back to Peter, but she hasn’t been able to reach him since” Dar confirmed.

“Have you tried direct contact?” Carrie asked, folding her arms across her chest as she considered their options. 

“Too risky Carrie” Saul warned. 

“And what if it is riskier to have no contact at all?” she threw back. Dar sighed, he understood her point, and as much as he also longed to make sure that the boys were safe he also had to consider National security.

“We will review the situation in five hours if there has still been no contact” he stated, before turning away showing without doubt that it was the end of the conversation. 

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“What exactly do you think you are going to achieve here?” Quinn asked, his palms open and slightly out to the side in a calming gesture. Omar snorted at the words, stepping slightly closer to the Special ops agent. 

“What I hope to achieve is getting you American pigs out of our country and out of our business” he responded with a sneer.

“Well it’s nice to know that you think I carry such value” Quinn responded with a grin, taking a small step back until he felt his heel touching the edge of the door. “Not sure the President would agree to that estimation of my worth” he added.

“To the contrary John the information you hold in your head is far more valuable than you give yourself credit for” Omar responded, his eyes locked on the other man’s and an involuntary shiver ran through Quinn’s spine at the depth of the other man’s words, there was no way in hell he was being used, he would die first. Hand forced and decision made it was time to act.

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Rob, settled forward, his eyes locked on the window of the apartment in question- seeing shadows playing in the light. He knew he had limited time before he would have to concede that Quinn was captured and hadn’t found a way out, but he wasn’t there yet- wasn’t willing to give up on his friend. He watched, seeing a slight flicker of light as the figures he watched moved slightly. Within seconds he sensed the change as the flickering light showed more dynamic movement and the flash that filled the room confirmed it was time for him to move- as did the unmistakable sound of a gunshot that filled the air.

End Chapter Four


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reviews you lovely people!! Please keep reading and reviewing!
> 
> Writing this has twisted my arm to revisit season four on Netflix!

Chapter Five

Rob moved as if the hounds of hell were on his heels, his gun was in his hand in one swift motion and he ran, into the building and up the stairs. He wasn’t as stealthy as Quinn, but he was determined and that counted for as much. He pushed through the communal doors and straight to the apartment, the door still swinging open and sounds of a scuffle coming from inside, he took one breath and headed through. He was in no way prepared for what he found on the other side. 

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Carrie looked through the files, her anger growing with each and every page that she reviewed. Pictures upon pictures of previous trusted sources stood side by side with known nominals of interest. She dropped her head, angry with the system, angry with the agency and angry with herself. All those months ago she should have listened, if it hadn’t have been for her stubborn views on what was right and what was wrong Haqqani may not have been able to target the embassy. Quinn may not have been in the position of fighting off most of his troop practically single handedly and Fara may not have been killed. She knew in her heart of hearts that it would all have happened regardless, but it made it no better. 

There was no doubt that most of their network in the middle east was compromised, and it was going to take a significant amount of time to get structures in place to worm out those that needed dealing with and protect those that had been left vulnerable, but they had bigger issues to deal with first- namely getting this mission finalised and getting the two man team safely out of the area. She just wished she knew exactly what they were facing.

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“About fucking time” Quinn exclaimed from his position on the floor as he noticed his Oppo finally stepping through the door. Rob took one glance around him and couldn’t help the grin that graced his tired features. One man lay clearly dead on the floor near the window, one had a gaping bullet wound through his chest and a third was currently being treated to some sort of special ops restraint technique on the floor.

“Nice to know you missed me” Rob muttered as he moved forward and assisted his friend in tying up the now semi-conscious traitor. As soon as he was secured Quinn rocked back on his heels and wiped his sweaty and blood streaked forehead. 

“Check the rest room” he instructed his friend as he took a moment to get his breath back. Rob nodded, clapping the clearly exhausted man on his shoulder as he headed to do as he was instructed. He found a trail of blood, and finally the body of a man discarded in the bath, he moved and carefully tilted the man’s chin, unsurprised to find eyes wide open and staring back at him- no hints of life left. He gently rested the head back down, knowing in his gut that this man in front of him had been their asset- and the very fact that he now lay deceased proved that the agency had let him down. He sighed as he stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him. 

“He’s dead Quinn” he told his friend gently, taking in the appearance of the younger man and noticing the bruising already emerging on his face and the blood that stained his hand. “You good?” he asked carefully.

“I’m fine” Quinn replied predictably. “We need to get out of here” he added, getting to his feet and hoisting their captive up- glad when Rob reached out to steady them both. 

“Safe house?” Rob asked.

“Not an agency one” Quinn responded as he reached into his bag and pulled out a device, placing it in the microwave and setting the timing going quickly. “Might want to hustle” he warned as he sped up, grabbing the other side of the restrained man, knowing that Rob would have his back- the two men moved quickly out of the block and onto the street- neither of them looking back as a huge explosion rocked the night. 

“Christ Quinn” Rob uttered as he felt the air whoosh over them. Peter didn’t react as he just kept moving. 

Nearly half an hour passed before they made it back to their makeshift accommodation. Quinn dropped the semi conscious man down onto the bedroll and stepped back, reaching in his bag for his burner.

“Let me check you out first” Rob stated, knowing that Quinn had definitely picked up an injury.

“We need to get an extraction plan in place Rob” Quinn stated, his tone carrying an edge of warning. He didn’t even bother waiting for a response as he dialled the number he knew from memory. 

“Peter- thank god where have you been?” Astrid greeted him, unable to keep the fear from her voice. 

“We are compromised- asset zulu zulu mike has been executed” he told her, his voice flat as he spoke. “We have captured Omar- we need to arrange extraction” he stated clearly. Astrid sighed on the other end of the line, knowing that this was bad and had forced her friend’s hand.

“Leave it with me Peter- and for god sake stay safe” she warned as she disconnected. Peter rocked back on his heels, he was exhausted, but he knew there would be no sleep for him for the foreseeable future. He had to await Astrid calling back with further instructions or hopefully offers of help. 

“Where are you hurt?” Rob asked softly from behind him. 

“I’m ok Rob” Quinn replied, although his tone lacked its usual vigour as his tiredness carried through.

“Don’t make me call Callum and get him to discuss this with you” Rob threatened and despite the fact that they both knew it was an empty threat Quinn turned round and showed the beautiful new black eye he possessed and the cut above it that was still bleeding freely. Rob winced- the last thing his friend needed was another blow to the head. “And the arm?” he prompted and Quinn sighed dramatically before shrugging his jacket off and placing it to the side to show a slice through his bicep. Rob moved to the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit, moving quickly before Quinn changed his mind. Within minutes he had cleaned the wound and dressed it and slapped an ice pack on the face of his friend. 

 

“We need to move” Quinn stated as soon as Rob had finished patching him up. Rob nodded, he had known it was coming, he watched on as Quinn got to his feet and slipped the back off of the cell and removed the sim card- snapping it in his fingers before throwing it out of the window. The two operatives slung their bags over their shoulders and hoisted their captive to his feet and moved out, making the most of the cover of darkness as they headed out into the night.

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“Thank God” Carrie uttered as Astrid’s call to them was connected- words that she never thought would leave her lips at the thought of the German agent. 

“Peter has made contact, but you won’t like what he has to say” the soft German accent stated as she relayed to them the message the American agent had given her.

“Was he hurt?” Max asked, voicing the concerns of all of them. 

“He wouldn’t have told me even if he was” she stated in a matter of fact tone that Carrie recognised instantly. “What’s the plan?” she asked getting straight to the point. 

“We need to establish how deep this goes- and what intel is still viable” Saul stated.

“We have to get them out of there” Carrie argued, her eyes locked on her mentor’s. 

“We have to consider National Security Carrie” Dar warned.

“This was supposed to be a fact finding mission Dar- not an active deployment” the woman spoke as a partner left behind rather than as an agent at that moment in time.

“Peter is a special ops agent Miss Matheson- one of the best the agency has ever known, please don’t doubt his skills” he warned carefully. She backed down, knowing that she lived on thin ice where the head of black ops was concerned and she wasn’t willing to risk being cut out of this mission. She needed to know where Quinn was, and needed to be part of the team. 

“What do we have in place?” she asked, deliberately keeping her voice calm. 

“They are on their own Miss Matheson- we may be able to intercept if and when they make it to neutral ground, but we cannot send any reinforcements to Syria- we don’t know how deeply this runs Carrie” he stated, and even though she had been certain that was going to be the response, and despite the fact she knew he was exactly right- it still caused the breath to catch in her throat. 

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The men moved until the sun began to rise in the sky, Rob following the taller man’s lead as he moved quickly and precisely, finally stopping outside a dilapidated building, and letting himself in. They moved up the stairs and into an apartment at the very back of the building, the small room full of dust and grime, but it was undisturbed. Quinn dropped their prisoner down on the ground and headed into the small store cupboard, reappearing with supplies. Rob was impressed, his friend clearly had boltholes all over the middle east- and he was damn pleased about it too. 

Within seconds Quinn had pulled out a new cell and was typing in a known number. 

“Hello?” the familiar voice greeted him, tiredness conveyed in the tone.

“I need transport for three out of Damascus” Quinn stated simply, hearing a hitch in the breath from the man on the other side of the call. 

“When?” the man asked, his attention now fully grasped. 

“Tomorrow morning” Quinn stated, knowing that no more words were needed.

“I’ll see what I can do” the other man promised, before disconnecting. 

“Do I even want to know who you called?” Rob asked as he pulled open a can of tuna and sat down on his folded sleeping bag. 

“An old friend that will be willing to help” Quinn responded with a smile, wincing as it pulled on his newly damaged face. 

“You good?” Rob asked with a matching wince, he knew without question that his friend still suffered with headaches after the horrendous injuries he had sustained so recently, so the absolute last thing he needed was another strike to the head.

“I’m fine Rob” Quinn responded with a sigh, sitting down himself and resting his back against the wall. “You get some sleep- I’ll take first watch” he stated softly.

“Oh no you don’t- I ain’t falling for that twice Pete- you rest, I’ll wake you up in three hours” Rob responded, not even waiting for a reply before he turned his back on his friend and tended to their prisoner. He moved the man away from Quinn and dragged him closer to where he sat himself, pushing a bottle of water to his lips before resting him back into the corner. They needed to keep the man alive, but anything beyond that could wait until they were somewhere safe- he just hoped that they would make it that far.

 

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Rob need to come up with a plan to get out of Damascus, quietly and with a captive in tow.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the horrendous delay in posting this chapter! Time has run away with me. I am really hoping that you guys are still with me and will leave me your thoughts!  
> Please comment :-)

Chapter Six

Quinn woke up to the familiar feeling of dizziness and nausea, his head was pounding as he pulled himself upright. His eyes felt gritty and sore, but he knew he would get no further sleep now that he was awake. 

“Did you sleep at all?” Rob’s tired croaky voice asked from the other side of the room. 

“A little” Quinn replied honestly, getting to his feet and stretching. “Your turn” he stated simply as he grabbed himself a bottle of water and moved to swap with the smaller man. 

“Try for some more sleep Peter- I’m good for now” Rob argued, turning his attention back to the window. 

“That’s not how this works Rob” Quinn responded stubbornly, placing his hands on the other man’s shoulder and physically moving him gently to one side. Rob sighed, moving out of the other man’s way despite his thoughts on the matter. 

“Wake me up in two hours- you need more rest before we move out” Rob warned, as he laid down on the bedroll with a sigh. He was used to active deployments, he was pretty sure he could sleep standing up in a hail stone when he was being watched over by someone he trusted, within minutes he was sound asleep. 

Quinn couldn’t help the grin that escaped him at the image of his friend gently snoring from the floor just a few feet away from him. He sighed, he hadn’t expected this mission to go south quite so quickly, but it was important work and them finding out that so many assets had been compromised could potentially save thousands of lives across the world. They just needed to get out of this alive so that they could go after the root of all of this. He rubbed his face, wincing as his fingers hit the cut that marred his eye. They would get out of this, he would make sure of it- if only to avoid all of the nagging he knew he would get from Carrie if he didn’t.

He got to his feet and reached for his burn phone, hoping against hope that there would be news waiting, he couldn’t help the grin that escaped him as he saw a text message with one simple word ‘Citadel’. He replied to the text and was unsurprised when he got the response instantly. Their pick up was on, they just had to cover seven miles without getting caught and by eight am they would hopefully be safe. 

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“The last update was that Quinn has arranged an extraction for the morning- we don’t know where to, where from or who by” Saul stated with a sigh, it was frustrating but he also knew it was exactly how it had to be. Quinn needed to maintain security and if that meant that the team back in the states were out of the loop then so be it. 

“So this time tomorrow we should be able to get them out of there?” Carrie asked nervously. 

“Well that very much depends on what he has put in place” Dar replied, his tone carrying his own tiredness.

“But we will try?” Carrie demanded.

“Of course we will try Miss Mathison- but national security will always have to be the priority” he responded his tone snappy as he found himself yet again having to reign in the case officer. Carrie sighed and nodded, she knew he was right- but her heart couldn’t face the thought of Quinn being at risk even longer. She knew this was the life that they had chosen and she knew that this wouldn’t be the last time she was in this position, but that did little to ease the worry. 

Dar sighed, surprised that he had got off so lightly, but relieved. He got to his feet and headed out of the room, he needed to get something to eat and some sleep if he was to be any help to Peter the next day. 

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Maggie looked up as the front door swung open.

“Any news?” she asked, her tone conveying her concern. 

“Not really” Carrie replied as she shrugged her coat off and sat down at the breakfast bar. 

“He’s strong and he’s stubborn Carrie- have faith in him” Maggie attempted to reassure her sister. 

“It’s that stubbornness that worries me” Carrie sighed with a grimace. Maggie grinned despite herself- the two operatives were more alike than Carrie would ever admit. “He was only supposed to be intelligence gathering” she stated.

“He has a job to do Carrie- a job that is the only thing he has ever known and a job that is important to him” Maggie stated as she sat down beside her sister. “Have you at least spoken to him?” she asked, hoping that her sister would have had at least that reassurance.

“No, the only contact is through a third party- he can’t risk being compromised any further” Carried commented, knowing that her words were true but still feeling frustrated. 

“That sounds pretty bad Carrie” Maggie commented, and she noticed a visible change in her sister as she squared her shoulders and her eyes flashed with fire. 

“He’s been in worse” she responded, before getting to her feet and heading upstairs to tuck her daughter into bed. Maggie watched her go with a smile, she loved seeing her sister care so deeply for somebody- especially for somebody that so clearly felt exactly the same. 

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Rob woke up with a start exactly two hours after he had drifted to sleep. His body was so well used to grabbing little pockets of sleep that he naturally only slept for small amounts of time when he was on a mission. He sat up, trying to ignore his back cracking as he did so- he wasn’t as young as he used to be and his body frequently reminded him of that fact.

He looked across at his friend, still sat his hand loosely grasping his rifle, but his gaze concentrated on the outside. Rob wasn’t surprised, Quinn would sooner die than let anything happen to his team mates no matter how rough he was feeling himself. He got to his feet and moved across to swap places with the younger man.

“Time for a snooze Peter” he stated, and was genuinely surprised when Quinn simply nodded and got to his feet. 

“Wake me up in two hours?” Quinn asked quietly, Rob nodded- too taken aback by the easy compliance to react any further. Peter moved towards the bed and laid down- he knew he was fast approaching exhaustion and he needed to be ready to move in less than six hours. He couldn’t be the reason that they failed, he had to make sure he could do his bit, there would be time for rest later, they just had to get out of here first.

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Rob sat back down by the window, giving their captive a kick to make sure he was still with them. Satisfied he was he leaned down and picked up a tin of beans, popping it open and eating them cold directly from the tin. He glanced across at Quinn, pleased to see him genuinely resting he turned back to watch over the outside of their hide out- they only had to get through a few more reasons and then they could start their escape plan and get the hell out of there.

An hour later Rob’s attention was drawn to the figure of his sleeping friend, he saw a leg twitching, before an arm followed suit. He hesitated as he assessed what was going on with his friend and if he needed to intervene. He took one step closer as he saw his friend violently jerk to the side- his arms coming up to cover his face as he yelled out in panic. Unable to watch his friend suffer Rob moved forward towards the younger man, and bent over to shake him awake, a move he would regret as he found himself promptly on his ass and pinned down by the surprisingly strong man.

“Quinn for fuck sake it’s Rob” he yelled, attempting to wake his friend, one look into the deep blue eyes showed him that Quinn was still lost in whatever was going on in his own mind. The blue orbs were filled with plain terror as he wrestled Rob to the floor and attempted to get him in a neck lock. Rob pulled back his elbow and struck his friend in the solar plexus- hating the yelp he caused, but using the distraction to roll from under his friend and take a step back to create space. 

“Peter! It’s Rob- snap out of it” he hissed, hoping his familiar voice would get through to the clearly distraught man, Quinn stepped back himself, reaching in his belt for his side arm and aiming it directly at Rob. Rob frantically considered his option- he didn’t want to be shot, but he didn’t want to have to shoot his friend either. He took a breath and crossed his fingers that his plan would work and muscle memory would overtake whatever nightmare Quinn was lost in. 

“Stand down soldier- I said stand the hell down Quinn” he snapped, his tone firm even though his mind was whirling. He was convinced that he only began to breath again when Quinn slowly lowered his arm, the safety being flicked back into place by a well trained thumb.

“Rob?” Quinn queried as he finally fought his way back.

“It’s me Pete- now sit the hell down before you fall down” he warned, only then stepping towards his friend and making sure he didn’t hurt himself. 

“Fuck Rob” Quinn whispered as he rested his head in his hands, absolutely mortified by his display of madness. He suddenly realised how close he had come to hurting his friend. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“As if your scrawny ass could hurt me Pete” Rob responded as he clapped his friend carefully on the shoulder, deliberately ignoring the slight tremor he felt running through the tight muscles. Quinn snorted despite himself. As he pulled himself back to his feet to steady his nerves. He moved into the small kitchenette and twisted the top from a bottle of water- taking a sip and leaning on the counter. 

“You good?” Rob asked him gently, knowing better than to push the seasoned operative, especially when on a mission.

“I’m fine” Quinn responded, his eyes still looking anywhere other than at his friend as he reined his emotions back into check. Rob nodded, willing to leave the subject alone- for now.

“Go back to sleep Pete- you’ve had less than an hour” he instructed moving back to the window and noticing the eyes of their captive taking in his every move. He tilted the bottle of water to the lips of the bound man, acknowledging the nod of thanks at the action. He sat back, his gaze returning to the window and allowing his friend the privacy he clearly needed to settle his emotions. 

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Quinn got no more sleep that night- his vivid dream unsettling him, and unwilling to risk it happening again he had merely laid awake and stared at the ceiling. He knew that Rob had let him off the hook and it was unlikely to last long once they had gotten out of there. He also knew that there was no way he could talk about it- to do that would cause everything to crumble around him and he couldn’t let that happen- not yet, they had too much to finish first. He laid there for a while, until he knew he had recovered control of himself, then he rolled over and stood up- wordlessly moving over to swap with Rob. The older man looked at his in concern, but refrained from comment as he switched places- knowing when to choose his battles.  
Before either of them knew it, it was time to pack up and removed all trace of them ever being there. The two operatives exchanged a glance as they packed the last of their stuff, small bags stowed on their shoulders hiding the weapons underneath.

“Ready?” Quinn asked his friend quietly with a final glance at his watch.

“Let’s get the hell out of here” Rob stated in confirmation, and with their captive braced between them they were up and moving. 

 

 

 

End Chapter Six


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Rob are finally making their way home- but how? and will they make it?..........  
> It may take a bit of help from an old friend, but will it be enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely comments and Kudos!  
> Sorry for the delay I have been away to Cyprus for a week and didn't want to risk divorce by taking the Laptop with me!  
> Please leave me your comments and I promise I will update quicker!!

Chapter Seven

“This is ridiculous- how in this day and age can we have no method of contacting them?” Carrie asked, they had received no update from Quinn and Rob since the brief communication through Astrid that had told them that they were working on their own abstraction.

“it is exactly because of the perils created by this day and age that they are having to stay in the darkness Miss Matheson” Dar warned through gritted teeth. He hated being kept in the dark, and having absolutely no idea how his team were planning on getting to safety, but he also knew it was necessary and trusted that they would be in contact when they were able to. Carrie sighed loudly, she absolutely knew Dar was right, but it didn’t stop her frustration in not knowing what was going on. 

“We have a team in Turkey and a further team in Iraq on standby” Saul stated in an attempt to placate the clearly worried woman. “As soon as we know where they are heading we will get them out, but at the moment it is all guesswork” he assured her. 

“I know- sorry” she whispered, turning her attention back to the files in front of her. “I am just surprised we have had no further contact from Astrid either” she added.

“They may be on the move Carrie- you know as well as I do that Quinn can look after himself” Saul stated taking a bite of his sandwich as he finalised an update report. She nodded, she did know that, but she also knew that the man was in no fit state to have been deployed in the first place. She also knew to choose her battles wisely and this was one she wouldn’t win as she had no argument and absolutely no control of what would be happening next so she simply stopped talking and sat back to await an update as she was slowly getting used to doing.

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Quinn rubbed his hand across his face, he was hot and sweating and he felt sick, but they had a job to do and he had to keep moving. If it had just been him and Rob they would have made it to the meet by now, but dragging a captive with them made them stand out more, so they stuck to back streets and it added time to their journey. 

“Are we going to make it?” Rob asked as he glanced around.

“We’ll make it- we just need to hustle” Quinn replied, picking up the pace and dragging the bound man with them. It was five in the morning and the men had less than half a mile to travel to make their meeting which was set for half past. Rob had little idea what Quinn had planned for their extraction- he just knew that they had travel planned that would take a couple of hours and hopefully bring them to safety. The men moved in silence, both alert to their surroundings and aware of everything around them as they moved. Their captive made no sound, knowing he had nowhere to go. The men made it with ten minutes to spare and hunkered down near the rear of the Citadel. Quinn’s blue eyes blazed as he took in his surroundings eagerly awaiting the sighting of their contact, finally spotting a pick up pulling passed the main area and into the crowd. 

“You wait with him while I check it out” Quinn directed, getting to his feet and moving forward as he placed his baseball cap on his head and walking straight now that he was able to blend in more. He moved around the vehicle first, his alert gaze scanning the area for any sign that they had been compromised. Finding no sign of trouble he approached the pick up, peered through the window before opening the door and stepping inside.

“I didn’t expect you to come personally” he commented drily, knowing he would be in trouble. 

“It looks like yet again you have managed to land yourself in trouble” the older man stated softly. “Is it just you?” he asked in confusion seeing Quinn alone when he had expected him to have a captive with them. 

“No I wanted to check it out first” Quinn responded, looking around as he spoke. The other man snorted in amusement, he had known that would be the case. “I will go and get them, and then we need to get out” he stated, moving to step out of the pick up and heading back to get his team mate. Within minutes all three men were secured in the vehicle and on the road.

“So where are we heading?” Rob asked softly as they got under way. 

“A hanger just out of the city to change vehicle and then we will be one our way” the driver stated cryptically. Rob nodded in approval, pleased that they were with somebody he already knew he could trust. He grinned to himself at his team mate’s behaviour, the younger man definitely knew he was in trouble with their driver- there was no hiding the cut and bruising to his face and the pallor of his skin, Rob knew the driver wouldn’t be happy and couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at the thought of the telling off the operative was going to get when they made it somewhere safer. Quinn turned around at the sound and shot the smaller man a deadly look- guessing correctly what he was laughing about.

“I should update our contact” Quinn stated drily turning his attention back to his kit bag and pulling out one of his many burner phones. He attached the battery and quickly tapped out a text, making sure it had sent before he removed the Sim and battery again and placed the device back in his bag. He sighed and rested his aching head back against the chair, wishing he could close his eyes, but not yet daring to.

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Carrie startled as the phone rang, holding her breath as Saul lifted it off the hook and flicked the speakerphone. 

“Hello?” he greeted, sensing he knew was on the other end of the phone. 

“Mr Berenson, are you secure?” the familiar voice queried.

“I am” he replied as he leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk, his body tense as he awaited news. 

“I have received contact” she stated. “They are safe and have been picked up” she told them quickly.

“Where are they?” Saul asked.

“He hasn’t said” Astrid responded with a sigh.

“Who are they with?” Carrie asked, unable to resist asking the question.

“He hasn’t said” Astrid replied again.

“Has he actually told you anything?” Carrie queried with a sigh, her frustration carried in her tone.

“It was a one line text message Carrie not a Facetime” Astrid bit back, her own concern for her friend carried in her voice.

“Sorry” Carrie apologised, surprising the German agent. 

“Listen, they have been collected and appear safe Carrie- lets focus on that” Astrid attempted to sooth the other woman. 

“You’re right- thanks Astrid” Carrie finally replied, she hadn’t always got on with the other woman- but she did know how much she cared for Peter, and she knew that the German would do anything that she could to keep him safe. Peter trusted her implicitly- so she would too. 

“I will let you know if I get any further contact” Astrid promised, disconnecting the call. 

“Well it’s something” Dar commented, disappointed that they didn’t have any further information but grateful for the little that they had. Carrie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She turned around as Saul squeezed her shoulder to offer her the little comfort that he could.

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The rest of the journey passed in silence, until the pick up turned off the road and onto a track, before pulling into a hangar- the door being pulled firmly shut behind them. The driver stepped out of the car and headed to the office, gesturing for the exhausted and dirty operatives to follow him. 

“You can secure him in here” he stated, grabbing some supplies out of the room and leaving the door open. Quinn nodded and between him and Rob they guided their prisoner to the room, tilting a bottle of water to his parched lips before leaving him secured. Quinn stretched wincing as it pulled on his tight and exhausted body. He turned and grinned as he saw Rob doing the same.

“You all right over there old man?” he teased gently as he heard the muscles clicking and creaking as the older man popped his joints. Rob raised an eyebrow at the quip- pleased to see a glimpse of his friend on display. 

“Just fine thanks for caring” the smaller man replied with an eye roll. Both men looked up as the third walked across.

“Peter come and sit down over here so I can check you over” the English man stated firmly. Quinn groaned at the comment, knowing it was inevitable but still hating what he knew was to come. 

“I’m fine Colin” Quinn argued, knowing it was fruitless. 

“I will be the judge of that- sit” the doctor instructed with a long suffering sigh. Quinn sat down with a grimace, knowing that his old friend would not be impressed with his further head injury. 

“What part of my instruction was unclear to you Peter?” Colin stated as he checked the angry looking wound on his head. “Was it the part where I told you extremely clearly that any more knocks to this thick skull of yours could be incredibly dangerous? Or was it the part where I told you that you weren’t fit to be deployed and you needed rest? I obviously was unclear in everything I said to you- either that or you are still the stubborn and pig headed idiot that you were all those years ago” Colin ranted as he shone a penlight into the blue eyes of his friend, not missing the flinch and the wince that the action caused. Quinn remained silent throughout the tirade, knowing that there was no point at all in arguing. 

Colin was right, he had completely ignored instruction and advice, but he didn’t regret it not even for a second.

“I’m fine” he stated eventually. 

“That headache that you have is clearly saying otherwise” Colin muttered as he handed his friend two pills. “Take these- it will calm it down without knocking you out” 

“Thank you” Quinn reluctantly said. He rubbed his face, he was exhausted and his head hurt, but he had never been so pleased to see his friend before.

“Seriously Peter- when are you going to stop doing this to yourself?” Colin asked him carefully, sitting opposite him and squeezing his knee. Quinn sighed as he knew he would never make Colin understand why he did what he did. 

“You know I didn’t expect you to come and pick us up personally” he finally stated, he had been pleased to see his friend but also very surprised. 

“Well I was working in Homs so it seemed like fate that you would call me just as I was about to head back” the doctor responded with a shrug of the shoulders- sure he could have sorted another extraction for his friend, but he was desperate to see how the young man was doing.

“Fate huh?” Quinn commented with a grin. “You’re crazy Colin, you are putting yourself at risk” he added with a shake of the head. 

“Pot and kettle springs to mind Peter” Colin challenged him gently. 

“So what’s the plan from here?” Quinn asked.

“For now you get some rest, actual genuine sleep- then at sunset we move out” Colin told him, getting to his feet and gesturing towards a second room behind him. “There are two beds in there ready for you and Rob- get sleep, then we eat and then we move out. I will watch your new friend for you” Colin told him as he headed back towards the prisoner. Quinn hesitated, he knew he needed rest, but he wasn’t sure that he would dare. Rob looked up as the two friends walked over.

“Did I hear the word bed?” Rob asked with a smile.

“And actual pillows” Colin replied with an answering smile. He liked the smaller man in front of him, he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect their friend. He lead the two men to their quarters and pushed the door open. “There’s a small shower just next door- limited hot water but if you are quick you should manage it” he told them with a grin. He gave one last nod and headed back to their charge. 

“You take first shower- I can smell you from here” Rob offered as he laid back on the bed with a sigh. Quinn rolled his eyes, but headed out anyway- he had blood in his hair and could feel the grime on his skin. Rob laughed to himself as his friend left the room- he still didn’t know the full history between his friend and the English doctor, but whatever it was it clearly went back a long way and the doctor undoubtedly had the measure of the young operative. He looked up as his friend came back in, looking at least slightly better for the shower. Rob sat up and headed out- keen to get at least remotely clean himself. 

Quinn sat down on the bed and carefully swung his legs up, laying back against the pillows, he closed his eyes and rested his forearm across his gritty eyelids. He was so tired, his could feel the mugginess of his head and the nausea in his stomach but he just couldn’t relax enough to go to sleep. He couldn’t risk another episode like the previous day, he couldn’t risk hurting somebody, or showing the weakness that he knew possessed him. 

“You sleeping?” Rob’s quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“Nope” Quinn replied without opening his eyes. 

“You should” Rob stated as he sat down on his own bed. Quinn remained silent, his thoughts swirling in his mind. Rob sighed as he leaned forward his elbows resting on his thighs as he looked at the man he considered his family. “You rest Pete- I will watch over us” he said gently, knowing in his heart of hearts what was stopping his friend from letting go. He looked away as he saw the faint tremor in his friend’s arm, he found himself almost holding his breath until he saw the smallest nod coming from the exhausted man. He leant forward and gently squeezed his friend’s bicep- showing the support the only way he knew how. 

End Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the escape gets under way how will Quinn and Rob get safely away, and will they be able to walk away without finishing what they went to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your reviews and comments, I really hope you are still enjoying this slightly slower paced story and sticking with me!

Chapter Eight.

Rob got to his feet silently and stepped out of the room, leaning back against the wall and rubbing his hands over his face. His friend was suffering and he didn’t know how to help him, didn’t have the words to console him, lacked the touch to comfort him. 

“Still having the dreams huh?” Colin asked him softly. Rob looked up and nodded wordlessly, understanding flashing in his eyes. “He has never been good at talking about things, it makes the hurt too real I suppose” the doctor told him softly as he stepped closer. 

“Then how do we help him?” Rob asked, his voice heavy with pain. 

“By doing exactly what you are doing. Keep him safe, force him to rest and just be there for him” Colin told him carefully. He had been around special forces guys for most of his professional life, and he knew how to handle them. His well trained instinct told him that Rob was one of the good ones- he wanted to help his friend and he would do it any way he could. 

“Thanks doc” Rob whispered, feeling better for the short conversation, but reassured that he was doing the right thing. His friendship with Quinn meant far too much to him to risk it pushing the younger man away. 

“Sit down, I’ll bring you some coffee” Colin told him with a smile, he liked the younger man the least he could do was offer him caffeine. 

Rob did as he was told, sitting down on the chair outside the room with the door ajar. He was tired, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until his friend had managed some quality rest. He knew that hell would freeze over before Quinn would willingly talk to him about whatever was affecting him so badly- he also knew that it was more than likely an accumulation of fifteen years of active service seeing and doing things that the citizens back home could never even consider and all in the name of National security. He had been there himself, he knew that the dreams never really truly went away, was fully aware that random things snuck up on you when you least expected them to, but he had mechanisms in place. He had a girlfriend that at least partly understood and he had come from a family background. Peter hadn’t- the man had been recruited barely out of puberty and taken straight into this crazy life. Rob had known him since he was twenty years old, a mere boy excelling in a man’s world. They had worked together on and off throughout that time, and he had seen his friend become more and more ground down by the morality of his work- but yet he couldn’t step away from it. He knew that Quinn had tried, but always found himself drawn back in- he wasn’t surprised, it was all he had known and what other life did he have? Besides he liked having Quinn around, he knew he could rely on him- plus he needed him where he could keep an eye on him. He chuckled at the thought, Quinn would roll his eyes and laugh in his face if he knew what he was thinking. He glanced into the room as he saw his friend jerk in his sleep- his face contorted in a grim line, but he didn’t cry out and he didn’t wake up so Rob left him, hoping he would settle back down. 

“He’ll get through it” Colin stated beside him as he handed him a cup of steaming coffee.

“Thanks” Rob replied with a slight smile. He nodded at the other statement, he knew his friend would get through it- he always did, the trouble was a little bit of him died every time he had to and Rob wasn’t sure how much his friend had left to give. 

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Rob let his friend sleep for three hours before he knew he needed to wake him, they only had two hours before it would be time to move out and he wanted to be sure the younger man at least tried to eat something. He moved into the room cautiously, hesitating as he saw that his friend was finally getting undisturbed sleep. He sighed before reaching and gently shaking the other man’s ankle, he knew better than to be within striking distance. He wasn’t surprised when his friend instantly sprung awake, sitting up with his 9mm clutched in a firm grip. Thankfully the highly trained operative came awake quickly and applied the safety .

“Sorry” he stated sheepishly as he recognised his friend. Rob laughed out loud. 

“It’s fine, come on- get some food” he prompted.

“You get some sleep, I’ll wake you in an hour” Quinn instructed, pushing his friend gently towards the bed. Rob smiled, knowing that Quinn always liked to make sure his team mates were safe he laid down- grateful for the rest. Quinn stood up to his full height and headed to join the doctor.

“Good sleep?” Colin asked gently.

“Best for a while” Peter replied honestly. “What’s the plan?” he asked, accepting the steaming mug that the other man handed him. 

“Well since I am here officially it seemed sensible to make the best of the credentials” Colin explained with a grin. He handed his friend a laminated card and Quinn looked at it approvingly as he saw his own picture on the identification card. 

“Impressive” he stated with a smile. 

“There is one for Rob too” Colin told him. “We move at sunset, we head straight across the border to Al Roum Hospital” he added.

“Lebanon?” Quinn queried.

“Yes- I have privileges there, it’s a safe option” Colin explained. 

“Who would have thought Beirut would be the safe option” Quinn stated with a groan. Colin laughed at the reaction, he had known his plan would come as a surprise to the CIA operative. “Where from there?” Quinn asked with a wince.

“There we will get you safe passage to Sidon, where you should be able to hand over safely to your people” Colin explained.

“What’s at Sidon?” Quinn asked in confusion.

“Absolutely nothing Peter- and that is why it has been chosen. You need to make contact with your people Peter- arrange extraction for the morning after tomorrow” Colin instructed.

“Why so long?” Quinn asked in confusion knowing it would only take them a couple of hours to get to Beirut and a mere hour to get to Sidon after.

“Because you my friend are getting checked over as soon as we get to an actual hospital” Colin stated and Quinn couldn’t help the groan that escaped him. He eventually nodded, knowing he had no choice. 

“I’ll get my burn phone” he stated as he got to his feet, surprised when Colin shook his head. 

“No need Peter- I have a secure line you can call Dar directly” he stated, once again surprising his friend with how well prepared he was.

“Are you sure you don’t want a career in the intelligence services Colin?” Quinn asked with a smile. Colin snorted in response.

“The odd dabble is more than enough for me, and only then when it is directly to keep you safe” he replied with a grimace. Quinn nodded, he had fully expected that answer, but was still glad to have the older man on side. Colin got to his feet and headed to the office, grabbing the phone and handing it to Quinn. He watched as the man clearly hesitated, swallowing and looking away.

“You want to eat first?” Colin offered and Quinn nodded, surprising the other man. The doctor gestured for his friend to follow him and they headed back to the office, he opened the small fridge before heading to a little stove.

“I can eat from the can” Quinn stated when he saw the doctor set the soup to heat, he scoffed in response. 

“You can have a hot meal Peter” Colin reprimanded him gently stirring the soup. As it bubbled on the small stove he turned and cut some chunks of bread and handed it to Quinn on a plate before spooning out the soup into a bowl. “This should be gentle enough for you to keep down” he told his friend carefully. Quinn nodded, not making eye contact he moved away and sat on the floor in the corner of the hangar and slowly sipped on the soup. He ignored the bread to the side and sat back to wait and see if the soup stayed down. When it did he took a small bite of the bread and chewed it. After half an hour he had managed to eat the whole meal- tiny as it was he still considered it a win. 

“You want some more?” Colin offered, Quinn shook his head- he did not want to push his luck so he quit while he was ahead. 

“I should wake Rob up” Quinn commented as he got back to his feet and headed towards the small room. Colin nodded heading to heat up some more soup for the other man. Quinn kicked his friends’ feet as he moved into the room, pleased to see he made his friend jump. “Come on food time” he stated, knowing that would get the other man moving. Rob didn’t disappoint, he was up and heading towards the smell of soup before Quinn could blink. 

The two men sat down- Quinn sipping on another cup of coffee and Rob eating his meal with gusto. 

“You need to make that call Peter” Colin warned him softly. Rob chuckled as he noticed his friend’s reaction. Colin looked between the two men in confusion.

“What’s going on? Why the hesitation?” he asked carefully.

“Pete here knows what will happen when he makes that call” Rob commented as he bit into his bread. Colin looked at him for more explanation. “He knows that Carrie will kick his ass for getting himself in trouble again” Rob told him with a grin that covered his face. Quinn groaned in acknowledgement as the other two men laughed at the truth behind the words.

“You can’t delay the inevitable Peter” Colin warned as he gestured towards the phone. “It’s nearly ten am there- perfect timing I would say” he prompted. Quinn sighed and reached for the phone, before picking it up and walking away at least attempting to get some privacy. He hesitated once more before dialling the well known number and holding his breath while he waited for it to be answered. 

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Carrie yawned as she stepped from the elevator- it was nearly ten in the morning so a later start than usual, but she had only left the office at three am so her sleep had been limited. She would usually have still been in the office for nine at the latest but she was determined she would take Frannie to day care herself today- Quinn’s latest mission had left her distracted and she didn’t want to neglect her daughter once again for work. Maggie was more than understanding given that she also had to work, and she fully understood that this wasn’t just any old mission- this was Quinn, but still Carrie took comfort in seeing her daughter so happy and skipping through the gates to her friends- she enjoyed the normality, the experience that most Mums got but she missed out on so often.  
So here she was heading into the office, having had a nice morning getting her beautiful daughter dressed and fed and talking about her day and somehow everything felt better than it had the day before. 

She stepped into the office and pushed the door shut behind her- she had barely sat down at her work station when the office rang. She exchanged a glance with Dar and somehow found herself holding her breath as the Special Ops leader reached and answered the phone, clicking the button to activate speakerphone.

“Hello?” Dar greeted cautiously, fully expected the familiar German accent to reply.

“This is Delta Two confirm secure?” a familiar yet tired voice filled the room, and Carrie gasped as she instantly recognised Quinn- alive and speaking. 

“This is Alpha and confirmed secure” Dar replied, his own relief tangible. “What’s your status Delta two?” he asked, desperate for more information.

“We have one target acquired and require extraction at 0600hrs day after tomorrow” Quinn requested, his voice clear but the strain evident to those that knew him. 

“What’s the extraction point?” Dar asked, looking and exchanging a glance with Saul.

“Sidon” Quinn replied simply.

“Sidon, Lebanon?” Dar asked in surprise- he had not anticipated this, but his mind was already whirling in an attempt to work out which team he could move quickest. 

“Yep” Quinn responded with a sigh. 

“Are you and Delta One safe?” Dar asked, needing to know their status.

“We are all safe and secure” Quinn responded. “I will make further contact at 1800hrs your time to confirm the extraction” he added before disconnecting the call. As soon as contact had finished the operatives all resisted the urge to cheer, the relief in the room was so noticeable. Carrie could feel tears forming in her eyes as she heard the voice of the man that she loved. 

“We have eight hours to form a plan. This needs to be low key- snatch the target and get him out of there and arrange a separate extraction for Quinn and Rob” Dar stated.

“Is the embassy over there secure?” Carrie asked as she looked on the map.

“As far as we are aware” Saul responded, liking where she was going. He had been stationed at the Beirut station himself several years ago, and still knew some of the staff there. “Let me make a couple of calls- that could be a safe place whilst we get our plans in place” Saul agreed, turning and leaving the room to head to his own office- he had some calls to make.

“Get a team to Sidon to pick up Omar- he gets lifted straight out of the area and somewhere secure. Then we can redeploy our boys to the embassy and debrief- see what we have got and what has been compromised” Dar stated. Carrie nodded in agreement.

“I assume you won’t want us to head out there for the debrief” Carrie asked cautiously. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea Miss Mathison- the distraction may not be in Peter’s best interests” Dar stated with a sigh. He was torn, he couldn’t deny that she had an excellent knowledge of the middle east and a range of contacts- but he had to put the safety of his team first.

“I understand” using every bit of self restraint that she could. Dar tried not to react to the unexpected response. He simply nodded to her and made his way out of the room, he had teams to move and other plans to put in place. He also had his own flight to arrange. 

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“Well did you survive? I don’t see you walking with a limp” Rob jested as Quinn re emerged to join them.

“Funny guy- like to see you say this to her face” he quipped in return and Rob quivered at the thought. 

“Go ok?” Colin asked, taking the conversation back to being serious. 

“Yeh- I am re contacting in eight hours” he updated them. 

“We good to move?” Rob asked as he got to his feet. The others nodded in response.

“This way” Colin instructed leading them away from the pick up and pulling a large tarp from another vehicle. Quinn laughed out loud at what it revealed.

“You stole an ambulance?” he asked incredulously.

“I borrowed one” Colin replied, handing over the identification badges to the two operatives. “Your captive there is to play patient for the journey” he instructed.

“Nice” Rob commented with a grin, he liked the doctor and fully approved of this rouse. He headed across to Omar with Quinn and the two men dragged him across to the ambulance, placing him on gurney and strapping him in before securing the wrist straps to make sure he couldn’t escape.

“You two ride in the back with him, I’ll drive” Colin told them. The two men nodded, pulling on the clothing that Colin had left for them they hid their side arms in the overalls and placed his rifle alongside the back of the chair. With one final nod Colin pushed the door shut and the men were on their way.

End Chapter Eight.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the plan evolves will the team make it out?

Chapter Nine

Carrie was twitchy, there was no other way to describe it than twitchy. They knew that Quinn would be on the road now heading out to wherever they were going prior to the pick up, it was all out of their control now, but somehow she did feel better for at least hearing his voice. She wondered if he had realised she was there- there was nothing in his voice to suggest she had, but then she wouldn’t expect him to reveal anything, he was a pro through and through and he would be focussed on their mission of that she had no doubt. 

She only had to wait another six hours and they would hopefully know that he had made it out of Syria. Westerners were still not welcome there- especially heavily armed CIA operatives who were seeking to eliminate terrorist leaders. She smiled to herself at the thought, her friend was a force to reckoned with- he could fight, he could shoot and he could build explosives- but he was still a human being and he wasn’t invincible by a long way. She just needed to get him out of there- it was too soon after his latest brush with death for this stress to be placed on his body. She looked up as Saul walked back into the room.

“So a friend of mine that I used to be stationed with is still based in Beirut- at the embassy. We have a plan to get them out” he told her. 

“Hide them in the embassy?” Carrie queried.

“No- this still needs to be off book until we know more about how deep this compromise runs” Saul stated with a sigh. “David will arrange take one of his personal safe houses- we can extract them from there and fly them out of there” Saul explained.

“You make it sound so simple” Carrie stated with a smile. She always felt better knowing that they had a plan in place. 

“Nothing ever is Carrie- you know that” he cautioned her gently. 

“I have some of the data back” a voice interrupted them, Max came straight into the room and sat down at his work station. “Sorry was I interrupting?” he asked. Seeing the tension in the room he continued “Am I missing something?” he asked. 

“Quinn has made contact” Carrie told him.

“Directly?” he asked in surprise. 

“Yep- we have an extraction in place” she told him and he nodded, relieved to hear that their friend appeared to be safe, but disappointed that he had missed the contact.

 

 

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Quinn’s head whirled with thoughts of next steps, he had never been to Sidon before, but he had worked extensively in Beirut. He shuddered at the thought, yet he knew it was necessary to get them to safety. 

Colin’s plan had inadvertently bought him time to work on Omar- he had twelve hours once they reached the hospital before they would need to set off to meet the other team. Twelve hours wasn’t a lot of time- but he had seen the desperation in the eyes of their captive. 

“What are you thinking?” Rob asked his friend softly, he had known the man long enough to know when he was planning something. 

“We need to know how far this thing goes Rob” Quinn stated quietly, his eyes never leaving the still figure laid on the bed. “We’re running away and Haqqani could be turning up any day now and we could miss our chance” he added.

“You want to download him?” Rob asked in surprise. Quinn nodded lightly, Rob sighed- this friend never failed to amaze him. 

“We don’t have a choice Rob- he was getting his instructions from somewhere, this could be our in” Quinn continued and Rob nodded, he knew his colleague was right, but he also knew that it could open an even bigger can of worms.

“Colin is not going to like this” Rob muttered, knowing full well that the British doctor was very much of the opinion that Quinn should be checked over and safely on a flight home to the states. Quinn groaned at the thought of it, he had to admit that his old friend would be very unhappy with his plan, but yet he knew with every ounce of his being that it was exactly what he needed to do. Both men went quiet as they saw the lighting change and they realised that they approached the border. They heard chatter outside and knew that they would be getting stopped. 

Quinn leaned over the patient and injected him with another dose of sedative, they couldn’t afford for them to be made now. He placed a stethoscope around his neck and grabbed the clipboard before sitting back down. Rob grinned at the rouse, moving closer to the gurney himself as if checking on his patient. Both men looked up as the side door was wrenched open and an armed guard appeared, he gestured them to step out and they did so with their hands raised to show they were no threat. Quinn listened intently as the men spoke with Colin, showing no sign that he understood the exchange, but he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Colin handed over a set of papers and answered all of the questions calmly. Quinn tried not to smile at the poise his friend displayed- he was a good and loyal friend and he would give his life to keep the doctor and his family safe, he nearly had once- but he knew the doctor would do the same in a heartbeat. 

After what felt like an eternity they were ushered back into the ambulance, Colin started the engine and they were moving. None of them dared speak as the vehicle made it across the border and several minutes passed in silence. Quinn finally released a breath and allowed a small smile to grace his face.

“Impressive Colin” he finally stated and the doctor smiled, as relieved as the CIA agents that his plan had worked. 

“We’re actually out of Syria” Rob whispered in relief. Quinn nodded, shocked himself that they had made it across the border- but he found himself unable to relax until he was safely stowed and their captive was secured. 

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Some time later they finally pulled into the grounds of the hospital and Quinn finally felt that he could release a breath.

Colin smiled as he opened up the side of the ambulance and ushered the men to the rear where they lifted out the gurney behind them.

“Do you have a secure room?” Quinn asked. Colin nodded and lead them quietly through the basement and up to his private offices. 

Once the man was secure in the office chair and starting to come around Quinn secured him to the arm rests and began to remove his uniform, Rob did likewise as the doctor dispensed of the gurney and returned to them, locking the door behind him. 

“So is this your main employment now?” Quinn asked in confusion.

“No- I am still at the municipal” Colin replied tiredly. 

“So what’s all this about?” Peter asked.

“This was just convenient for a few weeks” the doctor responded. “One of my old friend’s from College is on the board of directors here and he asked me to assist in some lecturing” he explained. Quinn nodded, finding it all a bit coincidental but not saying anything further. 

“Now stop trying to delay me and sit down” he stated as he pulled a chair out in the corner of the office and sat his friend down. Quinn sighed dramatically and ignored his team mate laughing out loud just a few feet away. 

“I’m fine Colin” Quinn argued tiredly.

“I am pretty sure that you haven’t been fine for quite a while Peter” Colin stated as he grabbed his medical bag and stood over his friend. “This needs stitches” he stated with a sigh as he looked at the angry looking head wound. “As does this” he added with a groan as he looked at the bicep with the jagged wound. “When will you stop doing this to yourself?” he asked, and Quinn sensed that it was a question he didn’t really need to answer.

The doctor worked quickly and neatly as he patched up his friend, as soon as he had finished fixing the obvious injuries he turned his attention to the stats. He placed a blood pressure cuff on his reluctant patient before shining a pen light into each eye. He shook his head in concern. 

“You need food, hydration and rest Peter” he warned as he noted the readings. Quinn rolled his eyes, only just managing to disguise the wince the action caused.

“I am fine Colin” he argued again. “Are we done here?” he asked, his tone firm and his eyes locked on those of the doctor. 

“Seems that way” Colin replied with a sigh. Quinn nodded and got to his feet swaying only slightly as he did so and refusing to react to it. Rob looked away, willing to allow his friend at least some dignity. 

“Do you have another private room?” Quinn asked softly glancing towards their prisoner. Colin straightened up at the question.

“Can’t it wait until you are extracted?” Colin asked, sensing where Quinn was heading. 

“It may affect our next moves” Quinn replied carefully and Colin could feel his stomach clench at the words. He knew exactly what the young man meant by the comment, he planned on returning if they could get enough information to make it workable. He nodded reluctantly and moved to the side to push open the internal door to the small sitting space within. Quinn nodded his thanks before heading in and clearing the space. 

Within minutes he returned and pushed the office chair into the centre of the room, he turned all of the lights off and pulled a bag over the head of the other man. He then stepped back and silently moved out of the room. 

“We need to check in Peter” Rob cautioned carefully, knowing that Quinn would not budge on this course of action and he couldn’t bring himself to disagree, they needed the information that Omar had and if it meant they managed to get one step closer to taking down Haqqani then it needed to happen. Quinn nodded and moved further back, rubbing his chin. 

“We need some of the information from those documents we sent through- do you have a secure network?” he asked Colin carefully, he needed to know who it was in the pictures and where Omar fit in to it all. 

“The hospital has a secure network- but not agency secure” Colin responded with caution. Quinn nodded measuring up in his mind if it was worth the risk. 

“I don’t think we have a choice” he stated and Rob nodded in agreement, happy to support his friend. “If we country hop then it’s harder to trace. Dar to Astrid, Astrid to my source in Jordan and them to here” Quinn thought out loud.

“Worth a shot” Rob agreed. “Set it up” he prompted and Quinn nodded with a sigh, noting the time he picked up the phone and dialled in.

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The team nearly fell from their seats as the phone shrilled through the air, despite the fact they had been expecting the call. 

“Yes” Dar greeted, sitting forward and resting his arms on the table. Max found himself holding his breath as he awaited the update. 

“Delta Two- confirm secure” Quinn’s voice came through loud and clear over the speaker.

“Confirmed” Dar replied with a sigh of relief. “Sit rep Delta two”

“We are out of Zulu and secure” Quinn confirmed, not trusting the link to give too much away. “Target is still secure” he added. 

“We have extraction planned as requested” Dar confirmed and heard the sigh on the other end of the communication, he knew straight away that Quinn was planning something. 

“Roger that” Quinn replied. “I need the intelligence from those documents sending through via Astrid” he commented, and that got the attention of those in the room. 

“What are you planning Peter?” Dar asked cautiously.

“We have twelve hours Dar- I plan on using them” he responded with a steely tone to his voice that sent a shudder through the spine of even the most experienced operators in the room. 

“This may change things Peter” Dar warned.

“That’s exactly what I am hoping for” Quinn confirmed. “Delta two out” he disconnected the call before anybody could argue with his plan. Carrie lowered his head to her hands as she realised exactly what the communication had meant. Her friend clearly intended on interrogating his captive, and that would undoubtedly mean that he wouldn’t be coming home just yet. 

“Can you send it through securely?” Dar asked Max, the tech nodded and turned his attention back to his screen to get it done as quickly and safely as possible. 

“This is a really really bad idea” he muttered under his breath as he went about his work. 

 

Carrie couldn’t help but disagree- from a case officer perspective it was a great idea, break the rules and get the intel whilst it was still fresh and useable, act quickly and get them when least expected. From a friend’s perspective she agreed wholeheartedly with Max- it would delay Peter getting home to them and in her mind that was always a terrible idea. She sighed as she set about her own work, gathering together as much further information as she could about Omar’s own family and how he had been recruited as an asset in the first place. It was the least she could do to attempt to keep him as safe as possible.

 

End Chapter Nine


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Quinn changes the plan the rest of the team have to move with it, and quickly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments, please keep them coming :-)

Chapter Ten

Quinn looked through the file, his eyes straining and his headache building. 

“You want me to go in first?” Rob offered as he sensed his friend was tiring. 

“No I got this” Quinn responded, tapping out two pain killers and taking a swig of water to wash them down. Rob shrugged, happy enough to leave it to his friend, hoping that they would get something of use. “Time to go” the taller man stated as he straightened his back and walked into the room, shutting the door tightly behind him. Colin suppressed a shudder as he thought about what was about to go on in the next room. Rob observed him quietly, knowing that this would be alien to the other man.

“Is there any food around here?” he asked softly, giving the doctor an excuse to leave the room. Colin simply nodded before turning and heading out, grateful for the distraction. Rob sat back down, he knew he had to give Quinn time to work his magic, only then would they know what their next move would be. 

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Quinn circled the room quietly, making just enough sound for Omar to know he wasn’t alone, but saying nothing. He watched as his fists clenched on the arms of the chair, his nerves showing and sweat gleaming on the visible skin.

“it’s funny how quickly this game can change isn’t it Omar” Quinn stated, his voice barely audible. “One minute you are well looked after, an asset to the United States, your family given safe passage and living securely and in safety” he added “the next you have taken money and suddenly you have crossed to the other side- right under our noses” he continued, finally sitting down opposite his prisoner. He reached forward and grabbed the top of the bag wrenching it off his head.

“It isn’t like that John” the man argued and Quinn grinned at him.

“See in that apartment a couple of days ago that is exactly what it was like Omar- exactly like that” Quinn responded, his eyes turning to steel and a blade in his hand before he could blink. “Now I happen to know that your mother is currently in Homs, well looked after and safe, I wonder how long that will last now that you have set your stall out” he stated looking at the blade as it picked up the glimmer of light that entered the room. Omar swallowed, his mother had raised him alone after his father had been killed in an explosion, they had always cared for each other- that was part of the reason he had become an asset for the CIA in the first place.

“They will kill me John” he pleaded, tears in his eyes. Quinn laughed out loud at the comment, his own feelings leaking into the room, but serving him well. “I don’t know anything” he added. Quinn shook his head and got to his feet, reaching behind him for the photographs. One by one he laid them out for the other man to see, and one by one he saw the other man’s face fall deeper into desperation. 

“Well it all looks pretty cosy to me” Quinn stated. He stepped forward and leaned in closely towards the other man. “You have a little think about what we should be talking about and I will be right back with you” he promised, placing the bag back over his face and heading back out of the room. 

Rob looked up as Quinn stepped out and raised his eyebrows. Quinn shrugged his shoulders in response it was far too soon to be able to tell how it was going to go- they both knew that. Just as the men regrouped Colin returned a tray of food in his hands. Quinn laughed at the vision in front of him- it seemed so ludicrous that he had been in one room interrogating a terrorist whilst the British doctor had been gathering a picnic together. Rob grinned at his friend’s reaction.

“Eat” Colin instructed as he set the food down on the table, Quinn sighed knowing that arguing would be fruitless he picked up a sandwich and began to slowly chew on it. “Have you got anywhere?” 

“It takes time” Quinn replied.

“Planning on getting some rest any time soon?” the doctor prompted and Rob snorted, knowing that there was no chance of Quinn resting until he had broken Omar. 

“I am going back in there” Quinn stated, ignoring the question as he put his sandwich back down, took a sip of coffee and headed back into the room. 

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It was over an hour before Quinn stepped back out of the room, he looked tired and drawn but he had some information. 

“We need to see what Max can do with this” he stated as he put his notes on the table and rubbed his hands over his face.

“What’s he given you?” Rob asked in surprise. 

“Just some addresses and a couple of names, but if they check out it gives us something to work with” Quinn explained. 

“You eat- I will get this to Dar” Rob suggested – gesturing towards the food his friend had barely touched. Quinn sighed, knowing when he was beaten he did just that. Rob was back in mere minutes. 

“Max is going to make contact as soon as he has done some digging” he stated. 

“Leave him to stew on it until Max makes contact- that will give us a steer” Quinn instructed. Rob nodded, and glanced at his watch.

“We have two hours Quinn” he warned carefully,

“He doesn’t know that” the younger man replied with a grin, and finally took a bite of food. 

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“Jesus Christ Quinn- you’ve hit the jackpot” Rob whistled through his teeth as he looked at the information that Max had returned. “It’s Haqqani’s god damn cousin” he added with a smile. Quinn grinned- "if it is his cousin that lives in that side of Damascus then that has to be where they are heading” Rob stated. 

“It’s his wedding in two days” Quinn stated. “This has to be it- it fits with the timescale. I need to check this with my source”

“Can you call him?” Rob asked and Quinn shook his head with a wince. “Surely you aren’t considering going back there already?” Rob asked incredulously. 

“We need to know Rob” Quinn stated.

“We don’t know how much we have been compromised” Rob argued as he ran his hands through his hair. 

“He told us we were compromised in the first place- I trust him” Quinn reasoned. Rob sighed, he knew that his friend was right but it was risky to go back so soon. “Think about it- Omar never got a chance to feed back to them about us being in the area- it was never confirmed. As far as they are aware we didn’t show up for the meet” he added. 

Rob sighed he knew when he was beaten and he couldn’t argue against the logic, he wanted this to progress as much as his friend did, but they had to do it the right way. 

“Fine, we make the drop in Sidon- get rid of him. Then we get back here and work out how we go forward” Rob agreed hesitantly. “Assuming Dar is happy with the play” he added cautiously. 

“He’ll be happy” Quinn stated, knowing that their boss would be glad of the progress. 

The two men moved quickly, tidying up their kit and gathering their captive ready to be handed over to their special ops colleagues. Quinn moved across to where Colin stood watching them. 

“Thanks for everything” he stated looking in the eye of the doctor who had repeatedly saved his life.

“Don’t be a stranger Peter” Colin requested softly to the man he considered a son to him. Quinn nodded and smiled softly. “And for god sake please be safe” Colin asked.

“Send my love to Jess and Kathleen” Quinn wished with a smile. The doctor nodded and couldn’t help the sadness that overwhelmed him as his friend got to his feet and left the room and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever see him again. 

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The two operatives got into the beaten sedan and ushered the captive in the back, Quinn drove steadily, they needed no attention drawing to themselves. It took less than an hour to get to the RV point and they simply got out of the car and locked it walking away and exchanging the keys with a man stood in the park opposite. They kept walking without looking back and headed straight towards the coastal path. The two men breathed in the sea air and quickly spotted a small café just in front of them, they moved forward and saw the hatchback parked in front of them, they got in with the keys they had been given and carefully drove away. 

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It was lunchtime by the time the two operatives made it back to the grounds of the Beirut embassy. Finally they were on American soil, even if it was unofficially. Quinn shuddered at the thought as he remembered Islamabad and how that had ended.

“You good?” Rob asked him, not missing the action. 

“Just tired” Quinn replied honestly, his guard down as the events of the day caught up with him. 

“I hope there’s a real bed and a hot shower” Rob stated as he flicked open the door and went in first. Quinn followed slowly behind, his head pounding and his leg throbbing as the adrenaline finally abandoned him. He groaned as he sat down- feeling every second of the last few days. Rob went to the fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of beer each and handed it to his friend.

“We really need to check in” Quinn stated without opening his eyes. Rob groaned at the comment.

“Can’t we just get drunk and hope they forget we are here?” Rob asked with a grin. Quinn laughed in response. 

“I’ll do it” he finally said dragging himself to his feet. “But first I need a shower” he added, heading out in search of hot water and relieved when he found a fully equipped bathroom. He stripped off his filthy clothes and stepped in setting the faucet to as hot as he could tolerate and bowing his head under the flow, not convinced he would ever feel clean again. He stayed there until the flow ran cold, and then finally stepped out, wrapping a freshly laundered towel around his hips. He ruffled his hair and stifled a yelp as his hand contacted with his newly stitched wound. Colin would kill him if he tore the stitches open already. 

He towelled himself dry and pulled on the fresh clothes that had been left out for them, before heading back down to see Rob. Seeing the older man had drifted off to sleep where he sat in the armchair. Quinn laughed to himself before gently kicking him awake- stepping back as he did so to avoid being knocked out. 

“I wasn’t asleep” Rob argued as he hauled himself upright and headed to seek out a shower for himself. Quinn watched him leave and pulled out another two bottles of beer and noticing the two microwave meals also stored in the fridge he took them out and read the instructions. He didn’t feel hungry, but he knew Rob would be and he also knew that he did have to eat if he wanted to make it through whatever the next few days were to bring. 

He looked up as Rob stepped back into the room just as the microwave pinged.

“Oh you cooked for us” Rob stated with a grin, reaching for a couple of forks and taking one of the meals. The two men ate in silence, Quinn pushing his half eaten meal away first. Rob refrained from commenting, knowing that his friend was still far from top form. 

“Time to make the call” Quinn stated as he moved away from the counter and to the secure line situated in the lounge. He dialled the number grateful that he didn’t need to worry about the integrity of the contact. 

“I assume you made it out safely Peter?” Dar greeted him.

“Have the team got Omar back?” Quinn asked cutting straight to the chase. 

“He is secured- the update you sent through makes for an interesting read Peter” Dar stated with approval. 

“It looks likely that he will be in Damascus by the end of the day tomorrow for at least two days” Quinn stated. “The cousin’s address is the likely place, any chance of a drone flyover to see what the land is like?” he queried.

“I can arrange that tonight” Dar stated in agreement, liking where this was heading. 

“I have a source that I want to use- establish if this is the likely play” Quinn suggested.

“This source- are they trustworthy?” Saul asked, worried for his friend.

“Very- reliable but expensive” he replied.

“What’s the plan?” Saul asked, knowing that Quinn would have come up with one. 

“Drone footage so we know what our options are with the cousin’s place- we need to see entry points and any areas of vulnerability” Quinn stated. “I will return to my source and establish if the intel appears likely to be accurate. Use them to find out what we can- and update from there” Quinn explained making it all sound so simple.

“You are suggesting you return to Damascus?” Saul asked in surprise. 

“It’s the only option Saul” Quinn responded. 

“It’s risky” Saul stated warningly.

“Tell me what isn’t” Quinn reasoned. 

Saul and Dar exchanged a glance over the table, it made sense, they didn’t like it but it made sense. 

“Max will get you what you need, there is an agency laptop in the main bedroom- log on in two hours and we will finalise the plan then” Dar reluctantly agreed. 

“Roger that” Quinn stated, disconnecting the call.

“They seemed overwhelmed with that plan” Rob quipped and Quinn snorted. 

“It’s the only plan we have” he commented, taking a drink and resting his head back. Rob smiled at the rare display of relaxation his friend was showing, he knew the younger man needed his rest so he stayed quiet in the hopes he would drift off to sleep- a hope that was answered a few minutes later as he saw by the steady rise and fall of his chest. He got to his feet and carefully draped a blanket over his friend hoping he would get an hours rest before their next check in.

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“I don’t like this Carrie” Max warned as he prepared the documents he had been asked for. 

“I am not exactly skipping about it either” she replied with a sigh as she looked over his shoulder.

“That place is a fortress” Max commented as he looked through the photographs he had managed to get. 

“And we don’t know what protection there is” Carrie agreed, she was tired and worried. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this wasn’t going to go well. 

“What else do we know about the lay out?” Saul asked overhearing their conversation.

“Not much- I have searched through all social media, all intel databases and all of our drone footage and there isn’t much I can find” Max stated apologetically. 

“We need to know more- we need to know what security measures they have in place, how big the house is and who exactly lives there” Carrie stated, knowing it was unlikely.

“How about a lottery win for good measure” Saul commented with a sigh. This was beyond risky. There was just a two man team with no further support and the expectation that they would be able to get in snatch the target and get out without getting themselves caught or worse. 

“There must be a way of getting some more information” Carrie reasoned.

“This is reminding me of Caracas, he made it in and out there” Saul commented.

“And look how that ended” Carrie replied with a roll of the eyes. “Besides that was a family home and a straight assassination- not waltzing into the middle of a terrorist cell to kidnap their leader and somehow make it out of the country” she added, and Saul couldn’t help but agree.

“It’s too contained, too much on their terms” he confirmed. 

“They won’t be able to grab him” Max summarised. “What about if they can get in and somehow tag a vehicle or one of the main guys?” he suggested with a shrug- knowing that even that held the risk, but it was still a win for them. 

“Quinn won’t like this” Carrie warned. 

“I am pretty sure he wouldn’t like being dead much either” Saul stated, his face conveying his own thoughts on the matter. 

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Rob checked the time before getting to his feet and kicking his friend on the ankle, unsurprised when he immediately sat up.

“It’s just me dick head” he assured him as he headed into the other room to grab the agency laptop. “Time to dial in and see what they have for us” he added as he logged on. The link connected immediately and the two men moved forward on the couch to see the screen.

“So what do you have for us?” Quinn asked Max immediately. 

“It’s not great Quinn” he replied, before clicking some buttons and sending a number of files across to his friend. Quinn opened them one by one, scratching his head as he glanced through them with a sigh.

“Fuck me” Rob cursed as he saw the high walls and security cameras. “That is not going to be possible in these time scales” he stated and Quinn shot him a warning glance. 

“Rob’s right Peter” Dar interjected. “A snatch and grab is not going to be viable” he added, waving his hand before the other man could interrupt. “This is going to be an intelligence gathering mission- set us up to get him later” he confirmed. Quinn sighed, he had known that was where this was heading, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. 

“Fine, we get in leave some trackers and get out?” he asked, knowing that would be the plan.

“It will have to be good enough for now- monitor from here, and take the opportunity as soon as it arrives. More than likely when he is travelling to the next location” Saul confirmed. 

“I’ll check in with my source tomorrow, get a feel for when the best time to move is and take it from there” Quinn agreed, his tone conveyed his displeasure but he was a soldier and he did as he was told- most of the time. 

“Are you two both good?” Dar asked as he caught sight of the newest injuries to his boy.

“We’re fine Dar” Quinn replied before Rob could speak. 

“Dr Wood patched Peter here up- nothing to worry about” Rob added to support his friend.

“Has Colin got out ok?” Quinn asked his boss, hoping for an update that his friend had made it back to Kilis safely. 

“No contact yet, but I have got the local office to check in tomorrow” Dar confirmed. Quinn nodded, he would never forgive himself if anything had happened to his long term friend just because he had helped them. 

“We’ll move out at 0500hrs, will contact you when we have more” Quinn stated, keen to at least get moving on. 

“Quinn?” a voice called from the Washington office, and the operative hesitated- recognising Carrie’s voice. He smiled, knowing that she had been so self controlled to not interject any sooner.

“I’ll call you back Carrie” he confirmed gently, not wanting to speak with her publicly. She smiled at the comment and the softness of his tone and just nodded in agreement.

“Get some rest gentleman” Dar instructed, disconnecting the call. Rob laughed at the exchange.

“Don’t want to whisper sweet nothings in public hey douche bag?” he teased his friend gently.

“Fuck off” Quinn stated over his shoulder heading out of the room with the secure cell that had been left for them. He sat down on the bed and keyed in the number, his call was answered in less than one ring as he had expected.

“How you doing?” Carrie asked him, two weeks worth of worry spilling out in those few words.

“I am fine Carrie- stop worrying” he replied with a small smile.

“Not until you are back stateside” she responded. “How’s the head?” she asked unable to help herself.

“Carrie I am fine, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t” he added and she scoffed out loud at his comment. “Look with the mission changes I should be home in a week or so” he told her. 

“Please be careful Quinn” she asked him.

“I will- how’s Maggie? And Frannie?” he asked her trying to change the subject.

“Both fine- Maggie is already planning a movie night for your return and Frannie seems to think you need to see Frozen” she told him with a grin. He groaned out loud at that comment. 

“Maybe I do need to stay out here a little longer” he quipped and was pleased when she laughed. “I need to go Carrie, me and Rob have some supplies to gather ready for the morning” he told her. 

“I know, hopefully speak to you soon” she added, so much more that she wanted to say, but she also knew that it really wasn’t the time. 

“Night Carrie” he told her, his voice heavy with love and affection for the crazy case officer that had captured his heart. 

“Night Quinn, stay safe” she replied, and within a split second he had disconnected the call. He sighed to himself, wondering if this new stage in their relationship would work or if it was too much to ask in this crazy World that they existed in. 

He put the phone on the side and headed back into the small sitting room with his kit bag, they had supplies to pack and plans to make.

End Chapter Ten


End file.
